Day of the Dead
by Myra109
Summary: Day of the Dead. The day we honor the ones we love that are no longer with us. Each year, Leo Valdez receives the same letter from his Aunt Rosa and each year, it has the same effect. Now that he's at camp, can he prevent himself from falling down the rabbit hole as he does every year? Self harm, language, high T, suicide attempt
1. Día de Muertos

_As some of you know, today is Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead, and since Leo is of Spanish heritage, I thought hey, that's an idea for a story. so in honor of this Spanish holiday, I present to you Day of the Dead. I also hope that this will teach you a little bit more about the holiday; it's really interesting and widely celebrated._

 ** _Disclaimer: no tengo nada. lo siento. (I own nothing, sorry.)_**

* * *

Every year, Leo Valdez finds the same letter in his mailbox or on his doorstep or wherever it was left. Every year, he reads it against his better judgement. And every year, he finds himself falling down the rabbit hole.

He had been hoping that now that he was at camp, things would be different. Alas, his wish was not granted.

November 1st and 2nd: Día de Muertos. The first day to honor passed children and the second to honor adults.

Leo made more than one alter on each day. He made miniature versions of the average _ofrendas_ for the people that died during the Giant War and the Titan War. A lot of other kids with Spanish heritage helped him and they were set out in the Pavillion, small alters surrounded by things that the people loved. Such as a photo of Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke was set beside his alter while some tools were laid beside Beckendorf's. Even those that had no idea what Day of the Dead was until others explained it to them appreciated the gesture.

But deep in Bunker Nine- deeper than any other camper had ever ventured- were seven alters.

One was for a girl with pretty blood curls pulled back in a bandana and muscles like Clarrise La Rue. She was grinning at the camera and wearing a blood red shirt with dirt streaked across her face. They'd been running through the woods all day, but she still smiled.

Another was for two children- a girl of thirteen and a boy of twelve. The girl wore a torn, magenta shirt and tattered jeans with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her blue eyes twinkled. The boy wore a blue hoodie and jeans with holes in the knees; his brown hair was all over the place and he had freckles dotted across his cheekbones.

The third was for a girl with long, curly brown hair pulled back with a blue headband and she wore a shirt to match. Her face was pale and covered with freckles, her green eyes shimmering in the sunlight.

The next one was for a girl wearing a red shirt and jeans, her hands in her pockets. She had blonde hair the color of lemons and eyes like Annabeth's- storm clouds reflected in wire rimmed glasses. A daughter of Athena that had never made it to camp.

Next was for an African American boy with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a white jacket with a dark green tee and his hair was curly and out of control. He had his arm crossed and was leaning against a door. If Leo remembered correctly, the door had been opened a minute later and the boy had fallen through, clashing to the floor with an oof!

The final one was for another boy- an Asian boy with short black hair and wide brown eyes. He wore a blue and white striped shirt with jeans, and he'd been caught mid laugh.

But in the center- three alters on each side- was an ofrenda for a woman with hair the color of chocolate and eyes to match. She wore overalls and had a toddler on her lap, laughing. To this day, Leo couldn't remember who took the picture, but he was glad they did.

When his siblings asked him why he hadn't been in the cabin since October 30, he'd told them he was working, which was true in a way. He'd been making the alters, and on November 1st, he'd sat there, reminiscing over the good times.

But somehow, he knew what happened next was inevitable.

On November 2nd, a letter arrived at Camp Half Blood (Leo never did figure out how she knew where to send it, but that didn't really matter) addressed to Leo Valdez.

Chiron had been skeptical when he handed it to Leo at breakfast and so had his friends. As far as they knew, he had no family that would send him letters. And technically, he didn't. Aunt Rosa only sent him one letter a year and it was hardly a family friendly letter.

The minute Leo got it, he let the Pavillion and ran to Bunker Nine before tearing it open.

It was worse than usual.

 _(ALSO, IMAGINE THAT THIS LETTER IS ALL IN SPANISH. I SPEAK SOME SPANISH, BUT I AM FAR FROM FLUENT, SO JUST IMAGINE IT)_

 **DIABLO,**

 **KILLER. MURDERER. YOU KILLED MY SISTER, YOU MONSTER! I HOPE SHE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE DATE AND COMES BACK TO HAUNT YOU! YOU SHOULD'VE DIED INSTEAD OF HER, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE RUNAWAY! WHY DON'T YOU JUST F****** JOIN HER?**

 **Contento Día de Muertos, Diablo.**

 **Rosa Valdez**

Leo stumbled to his feet, approaching the alters with unsteady hands before using his fire to light the candles. Maybe his Mama would lead him to the Underworld if she could find her alter and her son.

Leo rummaged through each and every drawer in search of something- anything- to use.

Aunt Rosa was right. It was all his fault. His mother was dead because of his lack of control. He should have died instead of her.

He decided to go with a very sharp screwdriver. Leo would've preferred a razor blade, but a screwdriver would work; he'd just have to press down harder.

Diablo. Three slashes.

Killer. Three cuts.

Murderer. Five cuts.

Monster. Three cuts.

Worthless. He lost count.

Leo just kept cutting and slashing and dragging the screwdriver until his entire arm was drenched in blood. The room was spinning like a top and he was beginning to see double. It hurt to even breathe and he stopped trying to sit up right, finally laying on his side and watching his blood trickle onto the floor.

"Leo!" Nyssa's voice, somewhere nearby. "I saw you run out at breakfast! Is everything okay?"

He could hear her footsteps fast approaching, but before she could reach him, everything went dark.

* * *

When Nyssa found her brother, she started crying- sobbing, screaming for anyone to help her.

Leo was lying beside a table with some day of the day alters (seven in all), his wrists drenched in blood with a letter clenched in his hand.

Nyssa ripped it from his grasp and cried. The letter was all in Spanish, but it was signed Rosa Valdez, a name she recognized.

That bitch of a woman that had thrown Leo to the wolves as a child (social services, I mean, not Lupa or her pack) and now, she was writing to him and Nyssa didn't need to know Spanish to know that whatever she'd written had not been kind.

Will Solace shoved her out of the way (how did he get there so fast?) in order to load Leo onto a stretcher with help from his siblings.

All Nyssa did was stare at the page in her hands, wondering what the words said.

Later, half of the camp was seated outside the Infirmary, awaiting information on the condition of Leo Valdez.

Will came out half an hour after Leo's admittance, looking both relieved and solemn with a clipboard in his hands.

"Leo's out of the woods," Will stated immediately and there was a collective sigh of relief. "Physically. Mentally? I don't know. Suicide is not a split second decision, even if something like the letter brought it on. Whatever brought Leo to suicide has been tormenting him for a while now."

"Could it have been the war?" Chiron asked. Even he looked shocked; suicide, even attempted suicide, was a rare event at Camp.

Will shrugged. "I don't think so. After we cleaned off his wrists, I saw scars- self harm scars several years old. Some of them look like they could be seven or eight years old, which means-"

"He's been self harming since he was eight years old," Piper finished before exchanging a look with Jason. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jason nodded.

"What?" Percy demanded.

Piper said, "Leo's mom died when he was eight."

"And Aunt Rosa, who wrote him the letter, blamed him," Nyssa realized.

"And today is Day of the Dead. When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense," Jason completed.

Will smiled, sadly. "Does suicide ever make sense?"

Jason shrugged. "Good point. It makes more sense."

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Aria, a daughter of Apollo.

"He's awake."

* * *

 _Additional information:_

 ** _Ofrenda- Spanish word for offering_**

 ** _Day of the Dead is a Spanish holiday to honor the ones we've lost._**

 ** _It is celebrated on November 1st and November 2nd: the 1st for children, the 2nd for adults_**

 ** _***Aria (the daughter of Apollo's name) means gentle music_**

 _There will be another chapter or two based off of Leo's suicide attempt, but after that, I was wondering if you would like me to write chapters based off of the other six alters Leo made, like who the kids were, how they died, how they were important to Leo, etc. if I get enough reviews saying you'd like me to do that, I will! thanks!_

 _Contento Día de Muertos!_


	2. The Inevitable Conversation

_I'm back with the next chapter!_

 _Reviews:_

 _DeadlyChaos42- the people the alters were made for are not based on real people, except for one, but I did lose a friend when I was very young, so that's why I'm so good at writing these types of fics. Thanks for the review!_

 _Theoneandonly- Thank you! And also there is more information in this chapter and there may even be some more next chapter!_

 _leleleleleleanor- Thank you!_

 _WARNINGS: HEAVY ANGST AND SEVERAL MENTIONS OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AND SELF HARM_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nada._**

* * *

Leo looked so pale, so frail and sick, lying in that hospital bed. His wrists were bandaged thickly and his eyes were half way open, bleary and exhausted.

"Hey, Leo," Piper whispered, seating herself on the edge of his bed and grabbing one of his hands gently.

"I'm sorry, Pipes," he murmured, his eyes filled with guilt and sadness but not necessarily regret.

For a moment, Piper said nothing. Finally, she mumbled, "We found the letter. From your aunt."

Leo stared at the white sheets covering his scrawny body and didn't speak for so long, Piper feared he would refuse to do so. At last, he breathed, "She was right."

"What did the letter say, Leo?" Piper asked, handing him the letter, where Spanish words floated across the page, Leo being the only one available to tell her what they meant, seeing as Reyna was at Camp Jupiter that day.

He took the letter in his shaking hands and sighed before beginning to read.

 **"DEVIL,**

 **KILLER. MURDERER. YOU KILLED MY SISTER, YOU MONSTER! I HOPE SHE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE DATE AND COMES BACK TO HAUNT YOU! YOU SHOULD'VE DIED INSTEAD OF HER, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE RUNAWAY! WHY DON'T YOU JUST F****** JOIN HER?**

 **Contento Día de Muertos, Diablo.**

 **-Rosa Valdez"**

Leo broke down into tears, unable to keep his funny charade up any longer. Tears came flooding down his cheeks and heart wrenching sobs broke Piper's heart in two.

But then the anger set in. Who did Rose Valdez think she was, going around breaking people like this? Leo was just a kid! They were all just kids.

Piper didn't hesitate to pull Leo into her arms and cradle him. She couldn't afford to break down or to interrogate him on his suicide attempt and self harm; right now, her little brother needed her.

"I'm sorry for breaking down on you, Pipes," Leo sniffled.

"Hey, now, don't be sorry. After all, I've cried on your shoulder more times than I can count. The least I can do is return the favor," she smiled, weakly.

"Leo!" Harley suddenly leapt onto the bed and hugged his brother, gentle with his wrists.

"Hey, Harles," Leo said with a true smile.

"We were so scared, Leo! You should've seen Nyssa when she came to tell us! She was crying, Leo! And Jake almost passed out, but Christopher caught him! And I was really scared." Harley hugged him again, nearly choking Leo with his tight embrace.

Piper glanced over Harley's shoulder at Leo and mouthed, _You do have something to live for._

Leo smiled, slightly, and mouthed back, _I know._

* * *

An hour later, they had finally detached Harley's arms from Leo's neck and now, the inevitable conversation was about to begin.

"Leo... why didn't you tell us you were hurting so much?" Hazel murmured.

Leo sighed. "Well, I thought you'd think I was a freak."

"We would never think that, Leo," Jason said. "And also, Will told us that suicide is not a split second decision. When did this start and why?"

Leo took a deep breath. "How much do you know about Day of the Dead?"

Annabeth frowned, not expecting that question. "Well, it's a day to honor the ones we've lost, celebrated primarily in Mexico and Spanish culture but the holiday is recognized in other countries as well. There are two days: November 1st for children and November 2nd for adults. You make alters for those you've lost, typically with three levels that represent heaven, purgatory, and earth. That's all I know."

Leo nodded. "Well, you've got the basics and the holiday is celebrated differently by each person. Day of the Dead is a happy holiday, one to honor the ones we've lost and reminisce old memories. It's not necessarily sad because people tend to remember who they were in life and not the fact that they're gone.

"My family was no different. We'd make alters with three levels and my mom and I would paint sugar skulls and eat Bread of the Dead and visit cemeteries. Aunt Rosa and the rest of our family would join us. It was the one day my aunt didn't hate me and push me around or insult my mother for having a child out of a wedlock. We were actually somewhat of a family on that day.

"But then, my mother died and that's when the self harm started. I cut myself a few times, using one of the other foster kids' razors or scissors or a pencil sharpener. Hell, I even used a pen. Before I knew it, I couldn't stop. I needed something to make me feel alive, to make me feel any emotion.

"On this day when I was nine, I received the first letter. It wasn't as bad as that one, but it mentioned me joining my mother in death. It didn't take me long to start believing the cruel words my aunt wrote.

"When I was ten, I stood in the middle of the road, wanting to get hit by a car. Some guy pushed me out of the way and I was sent to a therapist to deal with my suicidal ways.

"It didn't help. When I was eleven, I tried to overdose but my friend found me and saved me. I was kept in the hospital for months until I thought I was better. But Día de Muertos rolled around again.

"When I was twelve, I tried to hang myself but the rope broke. My foster sister found me unconscious in my room and I was rushed to the hospital. There, I tried to hunger strike, yanking out feeding tubes, nutrition tubes, IVs. I really wanted to die.

"Still, I recovered, physically, and when I was thirteen, I got drunk beyond your imagination and tried to jump off of a construction sight. One of my friends got me down, but we were both runaways, so I was practically tied to my bed for weeks to ensure I didn't attempt it again.

"When I was fourteen, I slit my wrists. My first girlfriend found me and I was taken to the hospital, which I ran away from the week after.

"At the Wilderness School, I tried to overdose again, but Jason-at least, mist Jason- walked in and I hid the bottle. We talked and I decided that maybe I did have something to live for.

"That about brings us up to date."

By the end, all of the seven were crying, even Annabeth and Percy, who had gone through Tartarus and lived to tell the tale.

"Leo." Piper dove into his arms. "We love you so much, and that... that... that demon is wrong. You are not worthless or a killer or a devil. You're my little brother, a hero, a friend, and a million other names I can't even think of right now. But I know that you're a great person, and the fact that you never wrote back to this woman shows how strong you are."

"Thanks, Pipes."

"Can we kill her now?" Percy suddenly asked.

"No," Leo spoke before anyone else. They all turned to him. "I need to face her. You're welcome to come with me, but this is something I have to do. I have to talk to her."

"Leo, is that really a good idea?" Frank asked.

"No, but as Piper can tell you, emotions are emotions. They can't be planned, and they are neither good nor bad. Emotions aren't logical," Leo answered.

Piper smiled. "Then, we're with you. When are you going?"

"As soon as Will let's me," Leo joked.

"Well, that depends," Will suddenly said, coming around the corner with Nico.

"Were you easedropping?" Hazel asked.

"Yes," Nico deadpanned. "Did you expect anything different?"

"Anyway," Will continued, "you can travel, but you have to take it easy. I assume you'll be flying on Festus, so let someone else take the reins and don't push yourself. As for the rest of you, stay with him, make sure he doesn't over work himself. Got it?"

"Got it, Will," Leo said. "When can I leave?"

"Whenever you want. You're stabalized," Will answered.

Leo smiled at the seven. "You guys ready for a little trip?"

* * *

 _Next chapter is Leo's confrontation with Rosa! What shall happen ( cue suspenseful laugh that creeps all of you out)?_

 _Anyway, see you next time._


	3. Primo Raphael

_I'm back! Sorry for the delay._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

Leo was nervous, like jump out a window-scream like a crazy person-and then fall to your knees and cry kind of anxious.

He and the seven had left this morning for Texas: Percy and Annabeth taking the repaired chariot; Hazel flying on Frank the eagle; and Jason, Piper, and Leo taking the repaired Festus.

"We almost there?" Percy called over the wind.

"Yeah, we can land in the park over there; no one ever comes by there!" Leo answered, pointing to a deserted park surrounded by abandoned buildings.

The seven landed on the ground, Frank transforming back after allowing Hazel to slide off his back.

"What happened to this place?" Annabeth asked, looking around at the vacant space.

The park was just sad. The grass was yellowed, and what few plants there were were long since dead. The playground equipment was red with rust, and a child's long since forgotten toy lay at their feet.

"It looks like one of those books after the apocalypse before they build a new city," Percy muttered.

They turned to stare at him.

"What?" He said. "It's true."

"Well, Percy, you're not entirely wrong," Leo told him, surprising them all. "You see that charred circle over there?" He pointed to a huge area of blackened grass and a few rusty pieces of metal.

The seven nodded.

"That used to be my mom's workshop before it burned down. I've only come back here once, and I asked around why the area was so... deserted. Everyone told me that since that workshop burned down, this place has been... well, somewhat cursed.

"The Petersons were our neighbors." He gestured to a blackened window in the building. "Kitchen fire. Or the Martins." He pointed to a first story window of another building that was so burned up, it barley resembled a building anymore. "Fire in the middle of the night. Even four years after, no one knew what caused it, but it burnt the entire building down. The Carlyles." He turned back to another building and gestured to a window on the top floor. "The husband dropped a cigarette, and the fire was far bigger than it should've been. And finally, Apartment 3B." He turned back to the first building. "That's an interesting story.

"My mom and I lived there, but after she died and I went to social services, weird things started happening. Electronics spontaneously combusting into flames; strange kitchen fires; other fires without any reason behind them. And yet, every time, someone went to investigate, the apartment was as good as new, as if nothing had happened."

"What caused it? " Hazel asked.

Leo shrugged. "No one knows, but honestly, I think it was my dad. Fire is kind of his territory, and he was bound to be angry when my mom died. The one thing I can't figure out is why it went on for so long. I mean, the last person moved out of here a month before I came back after their TV suddenly caught fire. That was almost four years."

"Well, your mom must have been real special," Frank told him.

"Anyway," Leo said after a moment of silence, "my aunt lives right at the end of the street."

Taking a deep breath, Leo led the way to the end of the street, where an old, faded white house stood.

The house was not a pretty sight to behold. The grass was up to their thighs and some patches were yellow or brown while others were a freshly grown, but not necessarily well taken care of, green. The house itself may once have been a spotless white, but it was now a dirty, sun damaged tan color. The door was a faded blue that was covered in spots of a chalky white. All of the blinds were drawn, leaving not one peak into the house.

"Woah," Jason said.

"Yeah, my aunt really let the place go. She used to value how well she kept her home and lawn and herself, although she could never get herself to get that mole removed," Leo said, casually.

The others snickered, despite the awful situation.

"You guys stay back here," Leo told them. "I'll call if I need you, but this is something that needs to be between me and my aunt."

The seven nodded in understanding and watched Leo walk up the steps before lightly rapping on the door.

The door was answered by a young man, not much older than them. He actually looked a lot like Leo: a Latino male with brown hair and brown eyes and slightly pointy ears, although not as pointy as Leo's. While his features were slightly elfish, he did not look like a Latino Santa Elf as Leo did (Jason's words, not mine). He was much taller, maybe even taller than Percy, and slim with a smile that was laid back. That smile immediately dropped.

 _(Before I begin this section, Raphael can speak English, but I always imagine that Leo slips into Spanish when he's nervous or frustrated, so I thought Raphael would do the same thing. Therefore, Leo and Raphael will switch back and forth between Spanish and English)_

"Primo Leo?" He gaped **(cousin Leo).** "¿Qué estás tú haciendo aquí?" **(What are you doing here?)**

"¡Hola, primo Raphael!" Leo said with a nervous smile. "Estoy aquí para ver a Tía Rosa, por favor." ( **I'm here to see Aunt Rosa please)**

"¿Por qué?" ( **Why**?)

"Necesitamos hablar," Leo said, seriously. "Es muy importante." ( **We need to talk. It's very important)**

Raphael still looked uneasy. "¿Quienes son?" He asked, nodding to the seven. **(who are they)**

"Mí amigos," Leo said. "Esperarán afuera." ( **My friends. They'll wait outside)**

Raphael hesitated.

"Por favor?" Leo begged.

"Sí," Raphael finally relented. "But I must warn you, Leo, she's a little-"

"Off her hinges?" Leo guessed.

Raphael shrugged. "Sí, ella es loco." (Yes, she is crazy) "Come in."

Leo disappeared inside with one last smile at the others.

"You think he'll be okay?" Percy asked the others.

They shrugged.

"Who knows?" Hazel said. "Leo and his aunt have a very strained relationship, and the fact that she's... crazy... may affect that. Whether in a good way or a bad way, we'll have to find out."

"What about Raphael?" Jason asked. "I don't remember Leo ever mentioning him."

"Well, I think primo means cousin," Annabeth said.

"He mentioned him once," Percy said, "when I found him staring at a picture of two women and two boys. He told me it was his cousin."

"Does he speak English?" Frank asked.

"Well, he has to at least speak a little bit," Annabeth reasoned. "He used it a few times. My guess is he's like Leo: he slips into Spanish when he's angry or nervous or shocked. I mean, if my cousin, whom I haven't seen in seven, eight years, shows up at my doorstep, I'd be a little shocked."

The others nodded.

"At least Raphael seemed nice enough. I mean, he didn't slam the door in Leo's face, so..." Piper said.

"Leo looked a little surprised to see him," Hazel pointed out. "My guess is that Raphael has changed a lot since Leo's childhood."

"If Leo's cousin has changed, I'm a little scared about his aunt because chances are, she didn't change for the better, " Jason said.

"Hence the term loco," Piper agreed.

They chuckled, nervously.

They were interrupted by a resounding crash.

* * *

 _Most of the Spanish used came from my Spanish class, although I did use a little Google translate, so if Google or I made a mistake, just tell me in the reviews. Thanks!_

 _What did you think of the curse idea? That was more me having fun than part of the actual story, but still._

 _Next chapter is on Leo with Aunt Rosa, and more information on Day of the Dead will be scattered throughout the story since I will be including chapters on the other alters. Thanks!_

 _Review!_


	4. Tía Rosa

_WARNINGS: SOME DRINKING BUT ONLY, LIKE, TWO MENTIONS; VIOLENCE_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

When Leo walked down the hallway, he was completely and utterly surprised.

The hallway was narrow with a polished wooden table on each side, contrasting with the less than appealing exterior and interior of the home. The tables had been there for as long as Leo could remember, and it was a tight fit to walk down the hall; Leo thought it was to block people out of her room.

But it wasn't the tables that surprised Leo; it was what was on the tables: photographs. On the table to the left of Leo were photos of his mother, him, and Sammy Valdez; pictures of his abuelos (grandparents); photos of her husband (Leo's uncle), his parents, his siblings and their kids. Pictures of everyone in their family, living or dead, close or distant. Everyone.

But it was the table on the right that almost gave Leo a heart attack. There were photographs here, too: Sammy, his mom, his late grandfather, his late bisabuela. Even a black and white picture of Hazel next to Sammy, both young children (where did she even get that?). There were photos of Leo's uncle, who had divorced Aunt Rosa some time after Esperanza's death and took two of their children, leaving Rosa with Raphael. Those children were pictured, too, even if those three weren't in her life anymore. There was one more picture...

It was of him. He couldn't have been more than six, and judging by the decorations, it was Feliz Navidad. He was laughing as he played with a toy pick up truck, a gift from his abuela, taking it apart and putting it back together. If he recalled correctly, his Uncle had been the one to take the picture, and Aunt Rosa was in the background, watching him with a smile on her face.

"Believe it or not," Raphael said, "that's Mom's favorite picture. She really does love you, even if she won't admit it."

"Thanks, Raph," Leo said. "But do you know where she got this picture?" He said, pointing to the one of Sammy and Hazel.

"I think she got it from las cosas de nuestra bisabuelo. You know you look a lot like him," Raphael laughed. "You could be twins."

( **Las cosas de nuestra bisabuelo: the things of our great grandfather or our grandfather's things)**

"That's what Hazel said."

"Who?"

"She's, um, my friend. She's actually related to her: Hazel Levesque, the first," Leo explained, pointing to the photograph. "She was named after her. Kind of ironic that we met decades after her great grandmother moved away from New Orleans, leaving bisabuelo behind."

 **(This is just a story Leo made up on the spot; I mean, he can't tell Raphael that Hazel is really their great grandfather's best friend from the 1940s and is still 13)**

Raphael looked at him, impressed. "You really know our family history, don't you?"

"Mostly about bisabuelo. After I met Hazel II, we started researching."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Raphael joked.

"No. I had a crush on her for a while, but she's dating a guy named Frank. I've moved on. What about you- any special lady?"

"Actually, yes. We're getting married in June and having our baby shortly after."

"She's pregnant?" Leo gaped. And they weren't married? Aunt Rosa would have a fit! **(this is not meant to be insulting; Leo is simply shocked that Raphael is still alive because Rosa is against pregnancy before marriage)**

"Yeah. Mom was pretty mad at first, but she got over it. I think she was secretly jealous of your mom because she was happier with a hyperactive kid and a dead end job and no husband than my mom ever was. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your parents."

"It's alright. My dad isn't as much of a dead beat as I thought he was."

"You've met him?"

"Yeah. My dad's work can get pretty dangerous, so that's why he left. I actually have a few half siblings, all unintentional. Apparently, my dad's known for one night stands because he's scared his work will get in the way of a real relationship."

"Your dad sounds complicated."

"Oh, he is. It's very complicated."

"Raphael, is that you?"

"Sí, Mama!" Raphael called. "Come on."

He escorted Leo into the room at the end of the hall, and Leo froze in the doorway.

His aunt really had let herself go. Her once long brown hair was threaded with gray and white, stringy and not at all the luscious chocolate it had once been. The mole had been removed, which surprised Leo, and if it weren't for her sickly appearance, she would've been beautiful. But stress and grief had taken its toll.

What surprised Leo the most was that her usual scowl wasn't present. She was far from relaxed, but she didn't seem bitter anymore. The downside was that she smelled heavily of alcohol.

"Mama, you know you shouldn't be drinking," Raphael said, sadly.

"I haven't had that much. Just a few sips." While her body may be weak, her voice was strong, but no longer the voice of a resentful woman. She just seemed... defeated in a way.

"Still. But guess who came to pay a visit?" Raphael said, softly, gesturing to Leo.

Leo stepped fully into the room, and as his aunt's eyes widened, he knew she recognized him.

"Hola, Tía Rosa," he whispered.

"Leo..." She breathed. "You look just like your bisabuelo."

Leo smiled, gently. "I hear that a lot."

"You're here about the letter, aren't you?" She asked.

Leo nodded. "Why do you send it?"

"Well, the first few years, I was just so angry with the world, and then, the grief would always catch up to me on Día de Muertos. I'd always be-"

"Looking for someone to blame," Leo finished. "I know the feeling."

She smiled, weakly. "Thank you for understanding, but it's no excuse."

"Tía, why are you apologizing? You just wrote the letter a few days ago, and you sounded so mad. Why apologize now?"

"My days on this earth are limited, mí sobrino. I've been meaning to write an apology letter, but... I could never find the words."

( **Mí sobrino: my nephew)**

Leo smiled. "Thank you, and I'm sorry, too. "

"For what?"

"For the fire."

She froze. "Fire."

"Mama!" Raphael shouted as she started sobbing and screaming.

"Raphael, what's going on?" Leo demanded.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. The weirdest things trigger an episode of the loco I was telling you about."

"DIABLO! Murderer, you killed her! I hate you! You little pyromaniac!"

Leo stumbled back as though she'd hit him.

They were getting along so well; she apologized. What had happened?

"Sometimes she goes into fits of anger, rage directed at anything or anyone that's close. Sometimes she'll start screaming at my dad or you or your mother or whoever, even though they're not here. It's a little frightening."

"I hate you!"

She picked up one of those small containers that hold alcohol and chucked it at him. Not having enough time to duck, Leo threw his arm up to protect himself. It hit him hard (she may have a weak body, but she still had quite an arm!). He felt a bruise starting on his forearm; damn, that actually hurt a lot!

She picked up a vase and threw it at him, missing his head by inches.

"Mama, stop it!"

The rest of the seven came rushing in, just as Raphael dove forward and pushed his mother down to the bed as the last of her energy and rage abandoned her.

Catching Annabeth's eye, Leo rolled his finger in a circular motion beside his temple.

 _She had an episode,_ he mouthed, and she nodded before whispering what happened to the others.

Aunt Rosa suddenly gasped. "Did I do that?" She whispered, pointing at Leo's arm.

He frowned when he saw dots of blood appearing on his sleeve; surely that container had not hit him hard enough to make him bleed.

He rolled up his sleeve and froze.

When the container hit him, it'd popped a stitch, causing him to bleed through the Ace bandage around his wrist.

He looked up to see his aunt and cousin staring at his arm in horror.

How was he going to explain this one?

* * *

 _Now, the story gets really interesting..._

 _Also, though, I know that neither Leo nor Rosa would be so easy to forgive, but keep in mind that Leo didn't come here to hold grudges. He came to get answers and to forgive Rosa. Also, Rosa is losing her mind, so she's not how she used to be and that can be good or bad, due to her Episodes._

 _Review!_


	5. Making Omens

_WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF SUICIDE_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nada._**

* * *

Raphael was the first to break the silence.

"Leo..."

"When did you do that?" Rosa whispered.

"Día de Muertos," Leo said so quietly, they had to lean in to hear him.

"Oh my gosh," Rosa gasped, her hand over her mouth as tears filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't just you," Leo assured her. "So many others played a part in it. Your letter was just the last straw."

"And that's so much better?" She cried.

Leo shrugged. "Please, it... it's alright."

"No, it's not! You... you tried to kill yourself because of that letter!" She sobbed.

"Tía Rosa, I did not come here to blame you. I simply wanted answers and to be able to forgive you. Blaming you would not help with any of that."

"Just like with Esperanza's death..."

They saw the realization seep into her eyes.

"Blaming you will not bring her back, just like blaming yourself will not bring her back," she mumbled. "For what it's worth, I am so sorry. Tell me you at least found a decent foster family."

Leo hesitated. "I didn't find a decent foster family... but mí amigos are like my family. The best I've had since my mom died."

He smiled at them. "Tía Rosa, Raphael, this is Jason. He's the bravest leader you will ever meet, and he's stuck by me through thick and thin, even when I was being stupid and making the dumbest mistakes possible."

Jason waved. "Nice to meet you."

"This is Piper. She may be beautiful, but trust me, do not get on her bad side, or you'll wake up with your underwear on your head and your bed on the roof. She's my honorary little sister, and without her, I would never get a girlfriend."

She snorted. "You still don't have a girlfriend, but we're working on it. Anyway, pleasure to meet you."

"This is Annabeth: smartest person I know and so clever it scares me. She helped me finish one of my greatest creations of all time, and she talked to me about my mom to try and get me to stop blaming myself."

"Hello," she greeted. "Nice to meet you both."

"And Percy: funny, brave Seaweed Brain that comes up with the stupidest plans and yet they all still work! He's loyal to a fault and loves blue, which seems kind of irrelevant, but it's very true."

"Yep, and my plans are not nearly as stupid as your's," Percy laughed.

They turned to the others.

Jason shrugged. "It's a tie."

"Anyway, fantastic to meet you."

"Frank, who used to look like a Canadian baby man-"

"Thanks," Frank said, sarcastically.

"-but is one of the strongest and most courageous people I know, and we actually became good friends after I got it through his thick skull that I was not trying to steal his girlfriend! Oh, and he's a great boyfriend because he knows if he wasn't, Nico, the rest of the seven, and I would come after him."

"True that. Pleasure to meet you two."

"And Hazel: she may look sweet, but if you tick her off, you'll wake up without an arm. Anyway, she's really old fashioned and from New Orleans, so when she gets mad, she takes on this southern accent."

The others laughed.

"Now, that was a a weird day," Percy said. "You have Leo and Hazel, both from the south, screaming at each other with accents no one could understand."

"Anyway, it's very nice to meet you, " Hazel smiled, charmingly.

"Now, you six, I want you to officially meet my Aunt Rosa and my cousin, Raphael."

"¡Hola!" Raphael greeted.

"¡Buenos Días!" Aunt Rosa smiled. ( **Good day** )

"Mucho gusto de la familia de Valdez," the three Latinos said together.

"Nice to meet you from the Valdez family," Leo translated. "That's the proper greeting in the Valdez household. In every Valdez household."

"Leo?"

"Yeah, Tía Rosa?"

"There's one more person that would like to see you. Raphael?"

"Got it, Mama."

Raphael left while Leo turned to his friends and shrugged.

"Raphael, what is this all about?" An old voice said from outside the door.

Leo straightened. It couldn't be... he thought she was dead.

But it was. A woman stepped inside, her gray hair in a bun and her face soft and kind. Her body looked much stronger than Rosa's, and she wore a pale blue nightgown. Her brown eyes were sad.

"Abuelita?" Leo whispered ( **less formal version of abuela; grandma)**. "¿Eres realmente tú?" **(is it really you)**

The woman looked ready to cry. "Mí nieto... Has crecido." (My grandson, you've grown)

"Yo tengo dieciséis años ahora," he murmured. "Te he extrañado." (I have sixteen years now; I've missed you."

"Iguamente," she mumbled. ( **same here or me, too)**

"The boy always was close to his grandmother," Aunt Rosa said, smiling at the other members of the seven. "She's missed him, dearly."

Leo crossed the room and embraced the woman, choking back tears.

"We must catch up," she said.

* * *

An hour later, the seven were ready to leave, and there were hugs all around; more importantly, there was peace among the family for the first time since Leo was born.

"Promise you'll visit it?" Raphael said.

"I will. I'll come home for acción de gracias y Feliz Navidad. I'm sure the camp director will let me. " **(** **acción de gracias= Thanksgiving)**

"Of course he will," Jason laughed. "He thinks family and friends are the most important things a person can have."

"Well, he's right, but how much time have you been spending with Annabeth's brother, Malcom? That seems like something he would say," Leo laughed. "Ow! Annabeth, it was a compliment! "

"Oh, sorry."

"Anyway, Adíos, todo el mundo. Nos veo pronto." **(Goodbye, everyone. See you soon)**

"Te amo, Leo." ( **I love you)**

"Iguamente." **(me, too)**

Leo left with his friends.

"Ready to go back to camp?" Percy asked.

"If it's alright with you guys, there's one more thing I need to do."

"Sure," Jason said. "Anything."

"Alright. Follow me."

Leo lead them a little further along the road, away from the apartment buildings and the park where their transportation awaited them.

They finally stopped a little away from Rosa's home.

"Here we are," Leo whispered, his voice almost lost in the wind.

On a sign above their heads, the word **Cemetery** stood out.

* * *

 _Well, I'll see you later. Also, the reason Leo thought his grandmother was dead is because he hasn't seen her in eight years, so he assumed she'd passed away within that time._

 _Review! Bye!_


	6. Mi Mama and Newly Exposed Secrets

_Hey! Sorry for the late update, but I had a school field trip this week (Washington D.C), and I have a bunch of exams next week, so I will try to keep updating, but I apologize if my updates are slower than usual._

 _Also, though if you want to know when I'm going to update a story, I update in the order I published hem, so this is after Back to the Beginning and before His Skeleton. Just sort the stories by published and you can predict what story will be updated next! This doesn't include one shots._

 _WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF DEATH, CHILD ABUSE, AND MURDER; LANGUAGE; BRIEF MENTIONS OF GANGS, SELF HARM AND UNDERAGE DRINKING; IMPLIED HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"Guys, meet mi mama, my mom. Mom, meet my friends, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Hazel," Leo said, first gesturing to the tomb stone before sweeping a hand across the line of his friends.

Piper smiled. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Valdez. If you're anything like you're son, I know I would've liked you."

"Me, too," Jason agreed.

"You'd be proud of this little goofball," Percy laughed, messing up Leo's hair. The Latino huffed and rolled his eyes, playfully.

"Hi, Esperanza. Your family is wonderful, even if they do make mistakes from time to time," Hazel said, referring to Rosa and Raphael.

Frank grinned. "Dare I say it, but your son has grown on me. Thanks for raising him like you did."

Annabeth smiled, sadly. "You gave birth to a great man, and from Leo's stories, you were a fantastic person. Nice to meet you."

Leo stared at the tomb stone for a brief moment before he turned to his friends. "Um, would you mind-"

"Of course," Annabeth told him before she lead the others from the cemetery.

Leo knelt in the dirt and ran his fingers over the engraved words: beloved sister, mother, and daughter. He ran his fingers over mother twice.

"¡Hola, Mama! I... I'm sorry that I haven't been around lately, but you know, the war. I'm sure you heard about it in Elysium. I-I defeated Gaea, Mommy. I hope you're proud of me.

"I made up with Aunt Rosa and Raphael. Didn't think it was possible, but... I did it. And I'm planning on returning more often.

"I'm sorry I tried to... erm, join you. I know that that's not what you want, but... it was just too much, Mama. But I think things are looking up. The war's over; I have great friends; I've made up with the family.

"But Mommy, I-I want you to know that I-I miss you. I'm sorry for the mistakes I've made in the past with the gangs and the self harm and the underage drinking. I'm so, so sorry, Mama. I hope you can forgive me.

"I-I have to go. For the first time, I have someone waiting for me. Te amo, Mama. Adios." (I love you, Mom. Goodbye.)

Leo stood and walked towards the edge of the cemetery. And for the first time, there was someone waiting for him on the other side of the fence.

The seven hopped on Festus and started heading home.

About thirty minutes into the flight, Piper noticed how tired her best friend looked. He was swaying a bit where he sat, and his eyes still displayed a shock that had been present since they arrived at the home of Rosa Valdez.

She leaned over and whispered into his ear, adding just a little bit of charmspeak, "Why don't you get some rest? You look dead on your feet."

Leo was prepared to argue, but Piper's charmspeak was incredibly powerful and if gods couldn't resist it, Leo really didn't stand a chance (at least, most of the time). He started to slowly lean forward against the dragon's warm neck until he dozed off completely, snoozing peacefully against the metal.

But of course, he had to dream.

* * *

 _Leo was standing in his old bedroom, back at the apartment building with his mom. He recognized the small dresser pressed against one wall, a plan wooden one with stickers of rocket ships, tools, cars, and other boy things pasted on it. The bed was small, but when compared to its occupant, the bed looked king sized. Dressed in a blue blanket dotted with tiny moons and dots of yellow to represent stars, the blanket was a bit ratty, but Leo recalled not really caring or noticing._

 _Leo barely recognized the boy in the bed, but it was him. Without a doubt._

 _The Latino boy was tiny for his four years, the result of being poor and not having enough money to buy tons of food. He was short, and his hair was chocolate brown and so long and curly, the boy could've easily been mistaken for a girl. His eyes were brown and sparkling with humor. He wore a baggy blue T-shirt and basketball shorts as he curled up under the covers._

 _But the woman was what caught his attention. He hadn't seen her in so long he'd almost forgotten what she looked like; the single photograph that had survived the fire didn't do her justice._

 _She was taller than most woman Leo had met and breath takingly beautiful. Her brown, curly hair reached about half way down her upper arms, and her eyes matched the boy's: brown and incredibly happy, although underneath that happiness, Leo knew that exhaustion and sadness lingered. She wore overalls and a long sleeved white shirt that was streaked with oil and grime from her job as a mechanic. She was smiling, sitting beside the bed._

 _Her name was Esperanza Valdez._

 _"Mama..." Leo whispered in shock._

 _"Mama!" Little Leo echoed._

 _"Yes, mijo?" Esperanza giggled._

 _"Are you proud of me?"_

 _"Well, of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"_

 _"Tia Rosa says that you shouldn't be proud of a... of a Diablo. Born out of a wed lock, a monster."_

 _Esperanza sighed. "Oh, Rosa," she muttered. Then, she reached over and pulled Leo into her lap. "Leo, never listen to what other people tell you you are and aren't. You're not a Diablo, and you're not a monster. You never will be, no matter what happens. I will always be proud of you, my little hero."_

 _Little Leo smiled, toothily. "Okay, Mama. That's good. Te amo, Mama. Hasta manaña." (I love you, Mom. See you tomorrow)_

 _Esperanza smiled. "Te amo, mijo. Buenos noches." (I love you, son [affectionate version of the official term for son, hijo}. Good night)_

 _And then, the scenery changed._

 _He was standing in the same room, but the bed was larger, indicating some time had passed. And the calendar on the wall read June 5, 1994, the day before the wretched fire that ruined Leo's life._

 _And his mother was standing before him._

 _"Mama?" He muttered. "¿Qué estás haciendo aquí?" (What are you doing here?)_

 _She smiled. "¡Hola, mijo! It's nice to see you again. I am here to answer your question."_

 _"What question?" Leo whispered, still in a state of shock._

 _"Am I proud of you? Even after everything. And the answer is si. Yo soy muy orgulloso de tú." (Yes. I am very proud of you)_

 _Leo opened his mouth, but no sound came out. "¿Por qué? What did I do to deserve you... being proud of me?" (Why?)_

 _Esperanza smiled, sadly. "You are a hero. A good friend, a wonderful mechanic, a hilarious joker, my brave, little lion. Although I suppose, you're not so little anymore. What's there not to be proud of?"_

 _"But yesterday..."_

 _Esperanza turned serious. "I do want to speak with you about that. Mijo... what drove you to try to... kill yourself?"_

 _"Tia, she-she wrote me a letter, calling me horrible names. It kind of... brought the memories to surface. I couldn't take it anymore."_

 _She sighed. "Mijo, what have I told you about listening to the many insults people hurl at you?"_

 _"Don't do it? I saw Tia Rosa, and... I forgave her. Was it... the right thing to do, Mama?"_

 _She smiled. "What do you think?"_

 _Leo thought about it before smiling. "It was. I'll be going back to see them... for Feliz Navidad y Dia de Muertos y muchos otros. I love them." (Christmas and Day of the Dead, and many others). "I haven't been able to say that in a while."_

 _Esperanza chuckled. "Neither have I, lion. But I'm glad that my sister has found peace and forgiveness. With luck, she'll join me in Elysium upon her death, but she'll probably get Fields of Asphodel."_

 _Leo smirked. "I know the son of Hades. I'm sure I can pull some strings."_

 _She smiled. "Thank you, mijo, but I want you to promise me that this... will never happen again." She gestured to his bandaged wrists._

 _"I promise, Mama. I'll see you later. Just... not too soon. Te amo."_

 _"Te amo, támbien." (I love you, also)_

 _And then, he was falling._

* * *

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Percy was screaming as the dragon fell through the air.

"I fall asleep for a few minutes and all hell breaks loose," Leo grumbled. "Alright, guys, this landing may be a little rough!"

Then, Leo veered right, then left, and back again. The dragon fell at a choppy pace, like it was falling down the stairs. Then, Leo pulled up at the last minute, allowing the back feet to take most of the hit to avoid all of them getting pitched off of Festus.

"Great job, Leo. Is everyone alright?" Jason called over his shoulder. Everyone made noises of agreement. "What happened?"

"One second," Leo replied as he opened the hatch. "Festus just overheated. Buddy, what have I told you about biting off more than you can chew? You should have told me you needed to rest."

Festus creaked. _Look who's talking._

"Aw, shut up," Leo grumbled. "Anyway, Festus will be fine by morning, but in the mean time, we'll need to find a place to stay for the night."

"And how do we do that?" Percy asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere!"

Leo saw that Percy was right. There were fields of dead crops ranging from cotton to corn to beans, but only Leo knew what had once been there. To anyone else, it was just a field of weeds.

"I think I know where we are," he whispered before kneeling on the ground and running his hand over the dirt. Sure enough, his hand hit a bump- a bump that was shaped like a necklace.

He pulled the necklace out of the ground. It wasn't much- just a simple metal chain, from which a silver locket dangled. Leo opened it, and he found a photograph of two men holding a toddler with long brown hair. She smiled toothily at the camera.

On the other half, a photo of the same girl stared up at him, but she was now ten and her eyes were sunken in. She gazed at him, brokenly, but she was smiling widely with her arm slung around a ten year old boy. More accurately, a ten year old Leo Valdez.

Leo shivered, dreading what he was about to do.

"I know where we can stay," he whispered, unable to raise his voice anymore. "We can leave Festus here; Percy was right when he said that this place is in the middle of nowhere. The chances of anyone stumbling upon him are one in a hundred. Now, come on."

Leo knew that they were exchanging curious glances behind his back, but he chose to ignore it, keeping his eyes dead ahead.

It took them about half an hour to reach their destination, and that was only because Leo was leading. He was naturally fast from all those years on the run, so the others had to run to catch up with him and by then, they'd walked almost five miles.

They were standing in front of a huge fence, one that reached maybe fifty feet off the ground with barbed wire at the top. Beyond that, there was a basic farm and a small house, along with other small buildings, such as sheds and pens that had once housed animals or still held rusted tools.

"Leo, where are we?" Piper asked.

"This place gives me the creeps," Hazel muttered.

"Rightfully so, Hazel," Leo told her. "One second."

Leo walked slowly up to the fence and held up a trembling hand. Then, like ripping off a band aid, he slammed his hand on the fence. Nothing happened; Leo sighed in relief.

"Good, they turned the electricity off," he muttered.

"Wait," Frank said. "That fence used to be electric, and you put your hand on it, not knowing if the electricity was off?!"

"Uh... moving on. Come on."

Leo lead them to a rusty gate and he reached for the chain, locating the combination lock and twisting it, his hands seeming to know the combination more than his brain. The lock clicked open, and Leo creaked the gate open to allow them entrance.

"Does anyone live here?" Annabeth asked.

Leo shook his head. "Not anymore. Still, I recommend we stay away from the house. Bad memories there. Bad memories everywhere, but especially there."

It clicked in Annabeth's mind. "This was one of your foster homes."

Leo nodded. "Here, I'll show you the kids 'room'." Leo made finger quotes around room, which didn't ease the others' worry.

He guided them to a cellar on the side of the house, and he flung open the doors to reveal a stairway that was streaked with blood. He reached up and turned on the light above the staircase, allowing them to see dust coating the walls and floating through the air, making them sneeze and cough.

Leo went first, followed by the remaining six, and they entered an old basement that was stocked with all kinds of old and worn out clothes and shoes and disgusting bandages. Rusty chains dangled from the ceiling above the two side walls on either side of the group. Pictures decorated the wall space beside them.

"Holy shit. And you used to live here?" Jason whispered.

Leo nodded. "Me and a bunch of others. Out foster parents weren't the most... affectionate people. Ah, let's face it, they were controlling bastards."

Leo's eyes suddenly fixed on the wall to their right and he froze. The teenager started shaking like a leaf in the wind, taking a step back and nearly knocking Percy to the floor.

"Leo!" Hazel gasped, reaching forward to help him as his knees buckled. "Leo, it's okay. What's wrong?"

"Alexis... Bradon," Leo whispered. He pointed shakily to a picture on the wall.

The picture displayed a girl of about thirteen with knotted brown hair in a ponytail and twinkling, but exhausted, blue eyes. She wore a tattered magenta shirt and ripped jeans, both stained with dirt, sweat, and blood. Beside her, with her arm around him, was a twelve year old boy with matching brown hair, although his was shorter and shaggier. Freckles dotted his cheeks below his sky blue eyes, and he wore a blue hoodie and jeans, also in awful condition.

"Alexis and Bradon," the daughter of Athena murmured. "What happened to them?"

"He killed them," Leo whispered. "I miss them. "

Piper nodded and knelt beside Leo to hug him, not really knowing what to say, so opting not to say anything at all.

After a moment, Leo struggled to his feet and approached an area of the room near the picture of Alexis and Bradon. Leo kneeled down in front of a wall and lightly touched his fingers to a photo of two kids, a girl and a boy that weren't Alexis and Bradon.

The girl was slightly taller than the boy with stringy black hair and green eyes that were so determined, the seven knew that she and Clarrise would sure get along. She wore a purple shirt that she had long since over grown if the thin strip of skin and the way the shirt was tight around her hips had anything to say about it. She was in great need of a bath, and her jeans were to her knees, meaning she'd hit a growth spurt since getting them. This girl hadn't known care and parental/guardian love in a long time.

The boy wasn't much better. He was scrawny and awfully skinny, even for nine or ten. He was Latino with curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes that danced and sparkled with humor. He wore a baggy black shirt with tears around the bottom and jean shorts that were in danger of falling off. The seven guessed that an older kid had lent them to him. He was covered in grime and a bruise covered one side of his face.

"Who are they?" Percy murmured.

"The girl is Janey. And the boy is me," Leo said, almost inaudibly.

"Was nobody taking care of you?" Frank asked.

Leo shrugged. "The older kids tried, but there's only so much teenagers can do when they have no help. No back up."

"Did the foster dad give you that bruise?" Piper said, touching the picture in horror.

Leo nodded, slowly, hesitantly even.

"Why didn't you run away sooner?" Jason asked.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. After he killed Alexis and Bradon, we didn't want to leave the little ones. Or the older ones for that matter. Even to get help. We were scared of what we'd come back to."

"So why'd you finally do it?" Annabeth asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer. For the first time, she was praying she was wrong. "What was the final straw?"

Leo turned to them, his eyes... broken. Scared. Too serious for joker Leo Valdez.

"Because he tried to kill us, too."

* * *

 _Over 3000 words! Detail on another alter from the Bunker! I honestly think it was worth the weight, but why don't you tell me what you thought? Review!_


	7. The Horror Story

_I am so sorry, but school has been hounding me with homework and tests. It's like they don't realize that we do have lives outside of school._

 _So this turned out to be much angstier than expected, but I wrote it at four o'clock in the morning, so my brain wasn't entirely working. So... yeah._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own Nadal_**

 ** _WARNINGS: GRAPHIC MURDER, SEXUAL ABUSE (NOT VERY GRAPHIC, THOUGH), CHILD ABUSE, LANGUAGE_**

* * *

"Because he tried to kill us too."

"What?" Annabeth whispered after several long moments.

Leo nodded. "This... place was different. The foster parents had ten kids- the eldest was seventeen, and the youngest was six. Janey, Alexis, Bradon, and I were the same age- ten. We all stayed in this basement, chained in case somebody tried to run away. That was what happened when Alexis and Bradon died."

 ***FLASHBACK* (this flashback does include murder and non-graphic sexual abuse; I'll italicize the part about sexual abuse if you want to skip it and underline the murder scene)**

 **Someone was shaking Leo awake, calling his name. At first, Leo thought he was hallucinating; everyone in this room was chained; he had the pricks of pain in his arms to prove it. How was somebody shaking him?**

 **It was Alexis. Even in the dark, he could tell it was her. And she had no shackles around her wrists.**

 **"How did you..." Leo whispered.**

 **"There's no time," she hissed. "Look, Bradon and I are going to get help. We need you and Janey to stay here and take care of the little ones and try to distract the Bastard. With luck, we'll be back before he even notices we're gone. With the police."**

 **"But what if he catches you?" Janey asked, Bradon having woke her up.**

 **Alexis shook her head with a smile on her grimy face. "Bradon and I have been planning this for months. It's fool proof. We'll see you guys soon, okay? If anyone asks, you didn't see anything."**

 **And Alexis and Bradon were gone, out the cellar doors, which they'd picked with a bobby pin. Alexis had stolen it while cleaning Ma'am's room; they really had thought this through.**

 **Not even ten minutes later, the cellar doors banged open, and Sir stomped down the stairs, awakening everyone in the room.**

 **Unchaining Leo and Janey, he yanked them up by the hair and dragged them out of the basement.**

 **"Sir, they haven't done anything wrong!" The eldest, Christopher, shouted, but Sir ignored him. Didn't even turn around to smack him. Something wasn't right.**

 **Leo and Janey were yanked into the house and thrown to the kitchen floor; Sir stomped on Leo's back, causing him to hiss in pain.**

 **Leo looked up, and he nearly started crying when he saw Alexis and Bradon standing on the other side of the room. Their plan hadn't been fool proof, but I guess that Sir, while abusive, wasn't a fool.**

 **Leo was dragged up by his curls while Janey remained on the floor. Sir had always liked him least, although Leo had never figured out why. The first week he'd talked back and such, but all the kids had done that. I guess it was just his luck.**

 **"These little bastards tried to escape," Sir hissed, shaking Leo and ripping out some of his hair. "And I know that you two had something to do with it."**

 **Leo took a deep breath and lied right through his teeth. "We didn't know anything, Sir."**

 **SLAP! Leo's face swung to the side.**

 **"Don't lie to me, brat! And honestly, I think that not stopping the perpetrators is more evil than committing the crime. "**

 **A fist connected with Leo's ribs.**

 **"STOP!" Alexis pleaded. "He didn't do anything."**

 **"That's why I'm punishing him."**

 **He tossed Leo to the floor and started beating Janey, too, and no matter how hard Leo tried to stop him, Sir was much bigger and stronger than Leo.**

 **Janey slipped into unconscious pretty soon. Sir had aimed for her face, and after too many hits to the head, she was swimming in darkness. Lucky her.**

 **Sir kicked Leo, but he stopped there. Then, he stormed over to Alexis and dragged her to a kitchen chair, where he forced her to sit down.**

 **"You are my property!" He sneered. "And trying to run away was a bad thing to do. You and that boy are a disease, and diseases must be stopped before they spread."**

 **Sir grabbed a knife out of the knife block and stabbed Alexis. He wasn't even merciful enough to slit her throat and kill her instantly. No, he stabbed her in the stomach over and over again until Alexis and the floor were saturated with blood. Bradon and Leo tried to help, but they were thrown to the floor over and over again.**

 **After at least thirty stab wounds, Alexis died from blood loss, falling on her side and Sir took her pulse to ensure she was dead. Then, he cut her throat just to make sure.**

 **The process was repeated with Bradon, only he died much quicker than his sister did. Alexis had been fighting to stay alive for Bradon, but Alexis was dead, so who would Bradon fight for?**

 **Sir turned towards Leo, who hugged Janey to his chest in order to protect her from the knife that had killed two of his best friends.**

 **"Take the girl back to the cellar. Come right back here, or I'll kill her too."**

 **Leo nodded and dragged Janey to the basement, where he set her down gently beside her chains. The others were awake by now, staring at him as he sat Janey down.**

 **"Leo, what happened?" A twelve year old named Max- who was usually silent and emotionless- asked in concern.**

 **Leo didn't respond. Trembling like mad, he climbed the stairs and shut the door behind him.**

 **Sir hadn't moved since Leo left. He was simply gazing at the dead kids without a hint of remorse in his eyes.**

 **"Get the trash bags out of the cupboard."**

 **Leo did.**

 **"Now grab two and put one of the kids in each."**

 **Leo, tears falling from his eyes, did as he was told. His hands were covered in the blood of Alexis and Bradon- the blood of his friends.**

 **"Put them by the door."**

 **Sobbing, Leo dragged the bodies to the front door.**

 **"Now, I want you to bleach this floor. Clean up every last drop of blood and come get me when you're done."**

 **It took several hours, but Leo was finished before the sun rose, and he walked into Sir's bedroom.**

 **"S-Sir," he called, knocking on the bathroom door.**

 **"Come in."**

 _ **Leo stepped inside and kept his eyes trained on the floor when he saw that Sir was taking a bath.**_

 _ **"I-I finished."**_

 _ **"Good. Come here."**_

 _ **Leo crossed the floor and stood beside the tub.**_

 _ **Sir guided him onto his knees and had Leo wash the blood off his skin.**_

 _ **"Thank you, Leo."**_

 _ **He'd never called him Leo before. Leo was surprised he even knew his name. What was going on?**_

 _ **He grabbed Leo's hand and guided it lower.**_

 _ **Leo jolted back, but the monster trapped his hand.**_

 _ **"Shh, Leo, you don't want Janey to end up like Alexis and Bradon, do you?"**_

 _ **Leo stopped struggling.**_

 _ **"That's what I thought."**_

 _ **Leo looked to the ceiling and whispered, "Please."**_

 _ **No help came.**_

 **...**

 **Afterwards, Sir made Leo go outside and dig a hole. Six feet deep, a little wider than Leo's shoulders. The sun was high in the sky and noon was approaching, and the other kids had yet to be let out of the cellar for chores that day.**

 **Then, he forced Leo to throw in the trash bags. Alexis's on bottom; Bradon's landed on top of her's.**

 **Leo bleached the floors, getting rid of any blood that may have seeped through the bags. He threw his and Sir's clothes into the hole with the bags before filling it with dirt once more. He tried not to think about how Sir undressed and redressed him.**

 **Sir smiled at him. "Alright, Leo, no chores for you or the others today. And as long as you're a good boy for me, you and the others can receive more food and less beatings. If you're a bad boy, well, I'm afraid I'll have to punish Janey for your crimes. Keep that in mind."**

 **Sir took him to the cellar and locked the door behind him.**

 **"Leo!" Christopher gasped, running to meet him. Ma'am must've unlocked them this morning but hadn't let them out.**

 **"What happened?" The second eldest, Sarah, asked.**

 **"Where are Alexis and Bradon?" Janey asked.**

 **"Gone," Leo whispered.**

 **"You mean they escaped?" Eight year old Luke said in wonder.**

 **Leo shook his head. "Gone," he repeated before going over to his area and curling up on his side, facing the wall.**

 **Sarah understood, and the others soon followed. Crying could be heard all through the night.**

 **No one tried anything for three weeks after. Leo was dragged out of the cellar every night to 'be a good boy' for Sir.**

 **The only reason anybody tried anything was because Janey found out.**

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

The others didn't say anything for a long time.

"So when you said... be a good boy for Sir... you meant..." Percy couldn't finish.

"What does that mean?" Hazel asked. Sometimes they forgot she had been out of the loop for so many years and didn't know about things like this.

"Do you know what molest means?" Leo asked.

Hazel shook her head; she'd seen some pretty awful things, but at the end of the day, she was only thirteen.

"Well, Sir... touched me... inappropriately."

Hazel gasped. "Oh, Leo," she murmured.

"It's okay," Leo said, shakily. "I'm over it, it was a long time ago."

"Don't do that!" Piper exclaimed.

"Do what?" Leo asked.

"Act like it doesn't matter! Like it didn't happen!" Piper said.

"It happened, Leo, and you can't keep this bottled up forever," Annabeth told him.

Leo sighed. "I know. That's why I'm telling you this story. How about this? I finish, and then, we'll talk. I'll answer all your questions then."

The others nodded.

"Well, like I said. Janey found out..."

 ***FLASHBACK***

 **Every kid was given an impossible amount of chores, and if you didn't finish them, you were punished. Janey hadn't finished her chores that day, so she was given no dinner and extra chores.**

 **She'd been forced to stay up late, working, and she was cleaning the living room when she heard Sir bring Leo into his room.**

 **Yes, she should've known better, but curiosity killed the cat, I guess.**

 **Janey looked around for Ma'am and found her snoozing in her bed; she was in the clear. After double checking everything, she peaked into Sir's room.**

 **And then, Janey was screeching like a banshee, leaping onto Sir's back and calling him every name in the book.**

 **Leo watched in amazement as Janey kicked and screamed, but after a few moments, Sir overpowered Janey. He always did.**

 **Janey was dragged into the kitchen and forced to sit in the same chair as Alexis and Bradon. He raised the knife.**

 **"Sir, stop!" Leo cried, grabbing his arm. "Please, I'll do anything you want! Just don't hurt Janey. Please..."**

 **Sir looked so angry right then, Leo thought he was going to stab them both and force one of the other kids to bury their bodies alongside Alexis and Bradon.**

 **But then, he laughed. Sir placed the knife against Leo's chin, making him gasp in fear. But he didn't stab him or even cut him; he just dragged the knife across Leo's skin, barely grazing it.**

 **The knife was placed on the counter, and Janey was forced to watch while Sir did unspeakable things to her best friend. And she couldn't stop him.**

 **...**

 **After Sir had been satisfied, he left Janey and Leo in the kitchen; Janey rocked Leo back and forth, singing a lullaby her mother used to sing to her.**

 **"Thank you," Leo whispered.**

 **"For what?"**

 **"For staying."**

 **Janey smiled, sadly. "Leo, you know what we need to do."**

 **Leo met her eyes. "But... how? He killed Alexis and Bradon."**

 **"There was one fault in their plan. And if we don't make the same mistake, we'll get out of here. They got caught climbing the fence after turning off the electricity," Janey told him. "But..."**

 **She reached into her pocket and withdrew a ring of keys she'd stolen from Ma'am's room. (There's a combination lock on the outside and a key on the inside; extra security)**

 **Leo grinned. "Let's do this."**

 **...**

 **Janey and Leo knew what key it was. They'd all watched in envy when Ma'am or Sir unlocked the fence with a bronze key; there was only one key of that color.**

 **Janey and Leo didn't stop running until they reached town, and luckily for them, the police station was right outside the dense forest.**

 **"HELP!" Janey shouted as she ran inside. "We need help!"**

 **"Woah, kids," one man said as every police officer in the room turned their head. "What's wrong?"**

 **Janey started speaking so fast that Leo didn't even understand her**

 **"Alright, you two, come with me. I'll listen to you, but you have to slow down," the man told them as he lead them into an interrogation room. "I'm Officer Burnten, but you can call me Ethan. What happened?"**

 **Janey told them entire story- about the abuse, the murder, what Sir did to Leo- and by the end, the officer looked so stunned, Leo was afraid he wouldn't believe them.**

 **"Kids, that's quite an outlandish story-"**

 **"We can prove it!" Leo told him. "We can take you to the Place and show you. I know where they're buried, and... and the other kids are still there."**

 **Ethan picked up his coat and said, "Well, come on."**

 **"Hey, Stewart," he called as he stepped out. "I have reason to believe that six kids are in immediate danger; am I allowed to enter without a warrant?"**

 **"If there's evidence that suggests immediate danger, yes," Stewart answered from behind a desk.**

 **Ethan nodded. "I think these two are enough."**

 **Leo and Janey lead Ethan to the Place, and when they arrived at the gate, Leo was able to tell him the combination.**

 **"The gate's electric," Leo told him. "So even though I knew the combination, I couldn't reach through."**

 **Ethan nodded and walked in, followed by the two kids, who hid behind Ethan the whole way to the cellar door.**

 **Janey unlocked it and opened the doors.**

 **"Guys!" She called down. "Come up here!"**

 **Six kids hesitantly climbed the stairs and stared at the officer.**

 **"Mister!" The youngest of them all at age six, Skylar, piped up. "Are you gonna take us away?"**

 **Ethan nodded. "I am. But first, I gotta arrest them. Stay here, okay?"**

 **Ethan arrested the abusers, who cussed at Janey and Leo all the way to the police cruiser. Back up arrived, and the eight kids had to be taken in three cars; the last thing Leo saw as they drove away were people in blue coats starting to dig where Alexis and Bradon were buried.**

 **Maybe they could have a true burial now.**

 **...**

 **The kids were allowed to attend a close casket funeral for their friends before they were buried beside their parents; they both died of drug overdoses shortly after their kids were put into the system.**

 **Then, it was time to say goodbye.**

 **Kids were sent all over the country. Christopher went to Arizona; Sarah, to Texas; Lily, to Arkansas; Max, to Florida; Luke, to Massachusetts; and Skylar to Oregon.**

 **Janey was getting sent to Pennsylvania, and Leo, to Ohio.**

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

"And I never saw Janey again," Leo finished.

Nobody said anything, and finally, Leo checked his watch.

"It's already six am," he said. "Let's get started for camp, and I'll answer any questions on the way."

Leo took four pictures off the wall- the one of him and Janey; the one of Alexis and Bradon; and two more of all ten kids together. One before the rescue, the other after.

And then, they were off again, but Leo still had a lot of things to tell them.

And they weren't about to brush this off.

The ride was full of interrogations and talks and therapy sessions, but Leo had to admit. It did feel good to get all of that off his chest.

Of course, being demigods, something went wrong pretty quick.

They were only thirty or so minutes from the Place when the monster appeared.

It was some kind of bat thing- a lot like a fury, but much bigger- and Leo swerved to avoid a crash.

Although he shot it out of the air with fire, the swerve had sent Festus spiraling. Leo managed to pull the reins and avoid a harsh collision with the ground, but that didn't mean a few things didn't break.

"Damn," Leo cursed. "Repairs. Fairly simple, but Festus won't be able to fly for a least two days. His right foot is messed up, and his wings have been loosened slightly. There's also a few problems with the wiring. Fixing it won't be the problem, but machines are a lot like humans. You break something, it has to heal; you can't use it right after. The good thing is that machines heal much faster than humans."

After fixing up Festus, the seven went on a walk through an oddly quiet town. It wasn't deserted, but they didn't see more than ten people within two blocks.

And then, Leo saw the sign.

WELCOME TO JOHNSONVILLE, NEBRASKA (this place is totally made up. If there really is a Johnsonville, Nebraska, that'd be a weird coincidence)

"Someone's messing with us," he muttered.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Welcome to Johnsonville. I used to live here."

"...alright, who's messing with us?"

"Hera, maybe?"

"Naw, this isn't really her style."

"She has a style?"

"Leo?"

The seven turned around to find a teenage boy standing there. With long brown hair and dark eyes, he looked like any other teenage boy. Navy blue hoodie, jeans, and an expression so surprised, he may just have a heart attack right there.

For a long moment, everyone was silent.

Leo broke it.

"Fuck."

* * *

 _So, yes, very angsty, but hopefully still good. Over 3,000 words! I think it was worth the wait, honestly._

 _Please Review! And for example of you that are curious, I'm focusing on the alter for the girl with the blue bandana now. Until next time!_


	8. Hell in Johnsonville

_My writer's block has finally gone away. Thank the gods! Thank Athena, Apollo, Coeus (Titan of intellect), and all the other deities that gave me the creativity to write._

 _Anyway, this chapter is also very angsty and contains graphic child abuse. Not all chapters will be graphic like 7 and 8, but let's_ _face it, Leo's life is a horror story._

 _And finally, this chapter is based off of Sylvia Likens (1949-1965), who was tortured to death by her care taker. May you rest in peace and know that you have not been forgotten._

 _I also took bits and pieces from The Girl Next door, a book also based off of the Likens case._

 _ **Disclaimer:** **I own nothing**_

 _ **WARNINGS: GRAPHIC CHILD ABUSE, LANGUAGE**_

* * *

"Fuck."

"What a nice greeting," the boy said. "What brings you back to Johnsonville?"

Leo shrugged. "Our car broke down. I fixed it, but smart people don't drive a car a minute after you fix it. I'm sure you remember what happened to Ben."

"But then again, Ben was the one fixing the car."

"Good point."

Percy cleared his throat, bringing Leo's attention to his friends.

"Oh, sorry, guys. This is Simon Towns, an old... I don't know. Simon, this is Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Hazel, and Frank."

Simon nodded. "Pleasure to meet you. I guess I better get going. The House is still there if you need a place to stay; no one lives there anymore."

"Thanks, Simon."

Simon hesitated for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "A few years, I was young and stupid and I didn't know what the fuck I was doing."

Leo held up his hand. "It's okay, Simon. I can find ways to forgive all of you except for Him and Mike."

"I don't blame you," Simon told him before walking away.

"What's he talking about?" Annabeth asked.

"I'll tell you when we get to The House," Leo told them before walking ahead.

"That can't be good," Percy murmured before the teens followed their friend.

Leo stopped in front of a fairly average house on a street of deserted homes. It was two stories with a basement and painted white. All curtains were drawn, and the house was run down and neglected. No one had lived for a long time.

"No one's lived on this street for about four years. I was eleven when I went in, twelve when I came out."

"What happened?" Jason questioned.

"There was a secret hell in Johnsonville," Leo answered. "Would you want to live near hell?"

They all shook their heads.

"Didn't think so. I'll show you."

Leo took them inside, using a key he found under the doormat, and he lead them into the basement.

The basement sure looked like hell. Ropes dangled from the ceiling, like some midevil torture device, and a mattress that could only be described as springs with a thin cover was pressed against one wall. A belt lay on the floor, and blood stained the floor and mattress.

"What happened?" Hazel asked in amazement. "It looks like a prison, only worse."

"It was a prison," Leo confessed. "I was forced in here when I was eleven, came out a month after my twelfth birthday."

"Did they torture you down here?" Piper whispered.

Leo nodded. "One policeman told me that my daily pain down here was equivalent to what Christ endured when he was crucified. The only difference was Christ went in one day; I was here for months."

Piper placed an arm around Leo's shoulder.

"Why would they do that?" Frank asked.

Leo shrugged. "I never really knew."

 ***FLASHBACK* (this flashback contains child abuse and slight profanity)**

 **It was a Sunday, which was kind of ironic in a way, considering the Luis family was so religious. Leo didn't believe in God- not after what happened to Alexis and Bradon- but Mr. Luis dragged him to church every Sunday to 'find his faith'. He forced Leo to pray every night while kneeling on a broomstick; those bruises lasted for weeks.**

 **Anyway, Leo had left church, but he'd gone to hang out with his friend, Madison. She was a sweet girl, smart, with long, curly brown hair tied back in a blue headband. Her green eyes were sparkling emeralds; the picture of her on the alter had been taken that day.**

 **Leo bid goodbye to her at two in the afternoon and returned to The House, where Mr. Luis and his four kids awaited Leo.**

 **"And just where have you been?" Mr. Luis snapped when Leo stepped inside.**

 **"With Madison. I told you after church, sir, that I was going to hang out with her."**

 **"Hang out? Were you just 'hanging out', Leo?" Mr. Luis sneered.**

 **"What do you mean, sir?" Leo asked.**

 **"Because Isaac here tells me he saw you two fucking a few days ago."**

 **"What?" Leo exclaimed. "That's a lie."**

 **"Lust and lies. Two sins in one day, Leo, how shameful."**

 **"I haven't done anything," Leo shouted. "And I don't even believe in God, so why should I be worried about sinning? You've sinned more than I have, you bastard!"**

 **The fist came out of no where, colliding with Leo's nose and causing him to fall backwards from the shock of it.**

 **"You devil child!" Mr. Luis snapped. "Lust, lies, and not believing in our holy father. I should kill you and allow Him to punish you, but it is my duty to carry out his work. Maybe there's hope for you yet. Stand up."**

 **Leo stumbled to his feet, his nose oozing blood and stared into the cold eyes of Joseph Luis, who flicked out a pocket knife. The son of Hephaestus stared at it, ready to bolt at the first opportunity.**

 **Mr. Luis was holding his wrist now, forearm up, and he pressed the blade against Leo's skin.**

 **Leo started struggling, kicking and hitting, but the more he struggled, the deeper Mr. Luis pressed the blade. After a minute or two, Leo was already becoming dizzy with blood loss. One look at his arm, which was now painted completely red, and Leo felt slightly nauseous.**

 **Finally, Leo didn't have the energy to fight anymore, and he slumped forward, barely conscious.**

 **"Mike, Isaac, take him to the basement."**

 **Hands were grabbing him, dragging him towards the basement door, not caring if he was knocked into a few things along the way.**

 **When the door opened, Leo found one last spark inside of him; he knew if he went down into that basement, there was a possibility that he would never come back out.**

 **He bit Mike's hand and went to run, but Isaac punched him; Leo responded with a kick to Isaac's ankle.**

 **"He won't go down!" Isaac shouted.**

 **"Push him!" Mr. Luis ordered.**

 **Leo went out with one last battle for freedom, but he didn't get the chance.**

 **He was falling.**

 **The boy tumbled head over heels down the stairs, his skull pounding against the steps on nearly every one.**

 **After what seemed like forever, Leo stopped falling and laid against the cool floor of the basement; the door was closed, so darkness suffocated him. The only light came from the tiny window, where he could hear kids playing.**

 **It was Madison with her baby brother, Kevin, and their father.**

 **"Help," Leo rasped, but no one heard.**

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

"I was in that basement for months; neighborhood kids tortured me, slapped me around. They hung me from... those ropes and beat me black and blue.

"I wasn't in school; I wasn't anywhere, and I heard Madison stop by at least once a week to see me. They told her I'd been sent to a juvenile hall for arson; I could tell she didn't really believe them, but what choice did she have?

"One day, though, she stopped by. Whether it was at the right time or the wrong time, it depends on who you're asking."

 ***FLASHBACK* (the child abuse in this flashback is very graphic. Read at your own risk)**

 **Mr. Luis was unusually pissed today. He was always ticked about something, but this rage... this was the kind of rage that made you look insane. It was the kind of rage that could scare the bravest person.**

 **And like always, he was taking his rage out on Leo.**

 **Mr. Luis was pinning him down, sitting on Leo's waist while Isaac held his wrists and their daughter, Kate, held his legs. Leo thrashed under them, but with the weight of a grown man and two teenagers pinning him down, he didn't stand a chance.**

 **"Stop it!" Mr. Luis yelled. "Mike, get over here!"**

 **Mike stepped out of the shadows.**

 **"What should we do to the bastard child?" Mr. Luis asked.**

 **Mike contemplated that. "I say we cut him."**

 **"What do you mean?"**

 **"Mark him. Let everyone know that he's devil spawn."**

 **Mr. Luis smiled "I like it. Take my place."**

 **The man and his son switched places, and Mr. Luis took out a lighter. He started to heat a sowing needle over the flame.**

 **Isaac, gulping, took a rag and stuffed it in Leo's mouth.**

 **"I'm sorry," he whispered, and Leo believed him.**

 **Mike took the sowing needle and touched it to Leo's skin.**

 **Leo couldn't be burned, but when he was cut, the heat charred the wounds. That would hurt anyone, even a fire user. After all, his skin was immune to fire, but open wounds... not so much.**

 **Even with the gag in his mouth, Leo's scream was loud enough to be heard upstairs.**

 **Madison had come to ask when Leo would return from 'juvenile'. She still didn't believe the lie, but she wasn't any closer to figuring out where her best friend was.**

 **The door was open; the Luis family allowed people to come and go as they please as long as they shout a warning before stepping inside.**

 **Maddie opened the door and went to yell who it was when she heard it. A muffled, pained scream from the basement.**

 **The basement door was wide open, and Maddie sprinted down the stairs.**

 **She couldn't believe her eyes. Her best friend- bruised, bloody, and beaten- was pinned under Mike, Kate, and Isaac with a gag in his mouth. Mike was carving something into his stomach with a hot sowing needle.**

 **"Get away from him!" She screamed before she could stop herself. Maddie kicked herself; why didn't you go get help instead?**

 **Too late now. The family turned towards her, and she turned on her heel and sprinted away, but Mr. Luis was faster. He grabbed her ankle and dragged her back down the stairs.**

 **Leo was screaming into the gag, trying to tell Mr. Luis to let her go, but Mr. Luis never listened to him.**

 **Madison was being tied up with ropes, and Mr. Luis yanked her head back by the hair, forcing her to watch the torture session.**

 **Mike smirked and touched the needle to Leo's stomach again.**

 **Madison wanted to clamp her hands over her ears and block out the screaming, but her hands were glued to her sides.**

 **"Please stop," she whispered.**

 **Mr. Luis laughed. "He's a devil child. The bastard deserves it."**

 **The torture seemed to be never ending, but in reality, it only lasted a few minutes. Finally, though, Madison was tossed to the floor beside a semi conscious Leo, and the family stormed up the stairs.**

 **"Maddie," Leo whimpered after they'd gone.**

 **"Shh, it's okay, Leo."**

 **Madison managed to climb to her feet and went over to a scroll saw, where she rubbed the ropes against the blade until they snapped. She dashed up the stairs and tried the door. Locked.**

 **She pushed at the window. It opened, but neither could fit through the small opening and nobody seemed to be out right now, except for the occassional person riding a bike.**

 **Maddie sat beside Leo, cradling his head in her lap, and she reached down with shaking hands to pull up the hem of Leo's shirt.**

 **She almost threw up.**

 **Carved into Leo's skin were the words 'Devil Spawn'.**

 **"Oh my God," she murmured.**

 **"Come on, Maddie. Not... that bad," Leo told her.**

 **"We need to get you out of here," Maddie said, ignoring his comment.**

 **Maddie was smart; she knew how to get somebody's attention. Gathering blankets, she placed them in a tin bucket; but what could she light it with?**

 **Leo had caught on, and he held his hands over the blankets.**

 **"Just... don't freak out, okay?" He told her.**

 **She nodded, confused.**

 **Leo's hands caught fire.**

 **Maddie leapt back in shock, but there wasn't time to explain. Smoke was spreading fast, slipping out the open window and under the door, which was thrown open not even a minute after the fire started.**

 **Mr. Luis grabbed Maddie by the back of the shirt and tossed her to the floor; her head bounced off the ground with a sickening crack! The man was trying to smother the fire, but someone had seen the smoke. The screeching of police cars and fire trucks and ambulances could be heard turning onto the street.**

 **Mr. Luis was livid. He grabbed Leo by the neck and squeezed; Leo's face was rapidly turning blue.**

 **"Let go of the kid!" Someone shouted. "Let go, or I shoot."**

 **Mr. Luis glared at Leo before dropping him to the floor.**

 **A police man hand cuffed Mr. Luis and shoved him up the stairs and into a police car. Another checked Madison's pulse and shook his head. The final one lifted Leo into his arms and took him upstairs.**

 **"Maddie," Leo whispered.**

 **"Shh," the police officer murmured. "It's over now."**

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

"Maddie hit her head on the floor," Leo explained. "Killed her on impact."

Hazel reached over and touched Leo's shoulder.

"Leo... I'm so sorry," Jason mumbled.

Leo shrugged. "Maddie's in Elysium; I know she is. She saved me in that basement. I never would've been able to escape without her. Her brother and father moved away; Mr. Luis and Mike are in jail for life; Isaac and Kate and a few neighborhood kids got out two years ago, and they're somewhere. I didn't expect them to stay here."

Nobody knew what to say.

"We can stay here until Festus is ready," Leo told them. "But we'll stay upstairs. They have enough rooms."

The seven slept that night. Or at least six of them did. Leo didn't even close his eyes.

* * *

Two days later, the seven were ready to fly out of Johnsonville. Leo locked the house up and prayed he'd never, ever have to return.

The ride was silent, and they made it much farther than last time. Leo almost fooled himself into believing that whoever was messing with them had stopped.

Until they were over Michigan.

The air was much colder here. It was northern Michigan- not more than a few miles from the Canadian border.

Leo should've known better than to fly here, even if it was the shortest way. Being so far north with enemies like Boreas and Khione... not his best plan.

Somewhere over Annex, Michigan (once again, totally made up town), Festus's eyes started flickering.

Leo recognized that, and it wasn't good.

The child of Hephaestus landed on a back road that hadn't been used in years.

"Khione and Boreas are messing with us again," Leo said as he started thawing Festus's frozen wiring.

"Damn it," Jason cursed. "What now?"

"Well, the wiring is unfrozen, but it'll take a while to his heat back up. In the mean time, I think we should-"

"Leo?"

"Shit," he hissed.

He knew he recognized this road. But he hadn't seen the construction on the bridge that faced a lake. There a thin sheet of ice over it, and this construction had obviously been forgotten about. The cones and tape were old and ripped in places.

"I know where we are," Leo finally told them.

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't."

* * *

 _A few things to clear up. First of all, Simon is a neighborhood kid that tortured Leo in the basement when he was younger. He didn't know that it was wrong until it was too late, and now, he regrets it. That's why he acted so weird around Leo._

 _And also, I know I said that Mr. Luis has four kids, but only mentioned three. The other one is a baby named Luna, but she really didn't have anything to do with the flashbacks._

 _Thanks for reading! Three alters down, four more to go._

 _My plan is to do the Asian boy's, the blonde girl with the bandana's, the African American boy's, and then, the gray eyed girl's. See you next time!_


	9. Betrayal and Tragedy

_Sorry, this chapter is a bit shorter than others. I knew what I wanted to write about, but wording it was much more difficult, so I hope I did a fairly good job._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: CAR ACCIDENTS; DRUGS (GETTING DRUGGED, NOT USING), LANGUAGE_**

* * *

"So what horror story happened here?" Percy muttered.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed. "That's rude!"

"Don't worry, Annabeth," Leo told her. "It's true. Although this story isn't nearly as bad as the others, but like the others, it ended in tragedy."

"So... what happened?" Piper asked, hesitantly.

"Before I tell you the story, you should know that I didn't just go to six foster homes. I ran away from six, but the others, I had to be taken out of for one reason or another. This was my sixth foster home, right after Johnsonville."

 ** _*FLASHBACK*_**

 _Leo was nervous. After what he'd been through in Johnsonville, that was understandable. He was still healing and had bandages everywhere; some other patients called him a mummy, but everyone had treaded carefully. Whatever caused that must've caused some problems for Leo that weren't just physical._

 _They'd moved him from Nebraska to Michigan, and the family was surprisingly nice. With his history of foster families, Leo wouldn't have been surprised if this family had razor sharp teeth and daggers for fingernails (just kidding, but you get the point)._

 _The caretaker was in her twenties with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was slim and pretty, but also very kind and clever. The woman, Terra, too care of Leo almost as well as his own mother did, but she couldn't replace his mama's love. No one could._

 _She had one son. Jake was adopted from Asia when he was three. With short black hair and wide brown eyes, he was a little on the chubby side and had a great sense of humor, one that rivaled Leo's own._

 _Jake and Leo became friends, immediately. Leo, if only for a few weeks, thought he'd finally found a home_

 _Until..._

 _It was a rainy night, and the moon was so bright, it almost looked like day time. Bullets of water pounded the house, and thunder shook the world with its rumble. Lightning flashed and lit up the world; if this were a movie, everyone would've sensed that something was wrong. But in the real world, it was a thunderstorm. What was the big deal?_

 _Terra had been acting weird all day; any time, Leo or Jake talked, she'd snapped at them. She hadn't allowed them to eat all day, and she'd even hit them a few times. Leo had popped more than a few stitches when she punched him. Jake, having never seen his mother like this, had been crying all day._

 _Leo just felt angry, but at himself more than Terra. He should've known it was too good to be true._

 _The real event came that night, though. Terra had given the two boys bottles of water and loaded them into the car; having not drank anything all day, Leo and Jake chugged the water so fast, their stomachs started to hurt._

 _Not even five minutes later, the teens started to feel... odd. Sluggish, tired, like everything was coming through a wall._

 _"Mama," Jake mumbled. "What's going on?"_

 _"Shh, honey, it's okay," she said, her voice sweet as sugar. "Give me your hand, sweetie."_

 _Jake lifted his wrist with a lot of effort and watched as she latched a hand cuff onto his hand before snapping the other shackle to the door handle. The door was locked._

 _"You, too, Leo," she said, repeating the process with the demigod._

 _And then, Terra continued driving down a back road that was wedged between the bottom of a cliff and a lake that had only a thin, steel railing to prevent accidents._

 _"Terra," Leo whispered as she sped up._

 _"Shut up, demigod," she hissed, spinning around in her seat._

 _Leo's eyes widened when he saw her golden eyes._

 _"What-"_

 _"We know about you, son of Hephaestus. I promise, you'll never complete the prophecy."_

 _"What..." Leo repeated_

 _The car was speeding beyond what should've been possible, and Terra- or whatever it was- wasn't slowing down._

 _"Terra, please," Leo whimpered. "Slow down."_

 _But Terra didn't. In fact, she swerved and demolished the railing, sending the car spiraling into the lake._

 _The car was sinking rapidly. Terra's eyes went from gold to their original blue before they rolled up in her head, and she slumped over in her seat._

 _"Jake!" Leo cried as water began to fill the car. "Jake!"_

 _The boy groaned._

 _Leo shook him with his free hand. "Jake, we need to get out of here!"_

 _The water was up to his waist._

 _"How?"_

 _That was the one part of the plan Leo hadn't figured out yet._

 _Searching the front seat for as far as he could reach, Leo found it. Terra's purse._

 _The water was up to his chest._

 _Dumping the bag over, Leo rifled through the supplies until he found a collection of bobby pins._

 _The car was filling up with water, and it was already up to Leo's neck; he didn't have much time. Picking the locks on both his and Jake's handcuffs, Leo unlocked the door and threw it open. After gesturing to a bleary eyed Jake, Leo swam for his life, thinking Jake was right behind him._

 _After being drugged, locked in a sinking car, and betrayed by the only adult that had cared about him since his mother, Leo wasn't feeling so hot. His arms were made of lead; his head felt heavy; he was so tired. Swimming wasn't easy._

 _Still, he broke the surface, and despite his blurry vision, he could see the red and blue blinking lights and hear the screech of sirens._

 _"Help," he coughed. "Help!"_

 _Hands were yanking him from the water and dragging him onto land, thumping his back until the water rose from his lungs and onto the pavement._

 _"JAKE! TERRA!" Leo screamed. "Jake..."_

 _"It's alright," a police officer told him. "My partner's going down there to help the others."_

 _Another officer lifted his wrist in her hand and examined the deep red lines that circled it._

 _"Somebody restrained him," she realized. "Somebody wanted him dead."_

 _"Terra," Leo whispered. "She went crazy."_

 _"It's okay. Take him to the ambulance," the policeman said to the woman._

 _"No!" Leo cried. "I left Jake. I didn't mean to, please."_

 _"Shh."_

 _The woman picked him up bridal style and carried him towards the ambulance, where paramedics were waiting._

 _Over the woman's shoulder, Leo saw them. A man breaking the surface of the water, dragging the lifeless bodies of a young boy and a woman. Jake and Terra._

 _"No!" Leo sobbed._

 _And finally, as if the world were taking mercy on him, he slipped into the darkness of unconsciousness._

 ** _*FLASHBACK OVER*_**

"Oh, Leo," Hazel murmured.

"Stop saying that," Leo snapped. "I don't need pity. I was doing just fine keeping all of this a secret!"

"Leo," Annabeth said. "You tried to kill yourself not even a week ago."

Leo blinked back tears. "That doesn't mean I need your... your sympathy. You don't understand, so don't act like you do! I left Jake in that car; I watched as Sir killed Alexis and Bradon and then didn't even fight him when he... he..." Leo's voice broke.

"Leo Valdez, don't you DARE say that again!"

This wasn't Piper. It wasn't Percy or Jason. It was Frank. Mello, calm, friendly Frank was shouting, but not in anger. In loyalty.

"None of that is your fault! You were a kid! We're all just that. Kids. We can act like heroes, but at the end of the day, we're all just kids that grew up too fast. And... you can't save everyone, Leo, no matter how hard you try."

"I would know," Percy agreed. "When your brother, Beckendorf, died, I never stopped blaming myself. I've gotten better about it, but... Leo, if you try to save everyone, you're going to drive yourself crazy before your eighteenth birthday."

Leo smiled, sadly. "Maybe I'm already there. After all, I did carve a line into my arms a few days ago."

Piper smiled, but her eyes betrayed the gesture. "You're insane, Leo, but not because you tried to kill yourself."

"Then, why?"

"Because you think that all the ladies love Leo, even when they slap you."

The seven burst into laughter because it was very true.

"Wait," Jason suddenly frowned. "You said her eyes were golden?"

Leo nodded. "An eidolon. Maybe that's why they targeted me specifically. I have a bad track record with certain monsters."

"Does anyone have a good track record?" Hazel asked.

"We are friends with a Titan, a Giant, and a Hellhound," Annabeth pointed out. "And you're friends with a horse with a potty mouth and likes to eat metal. Not exactly a monster, but close enough."

"Good point."

"Anyway," Leo interrupted. "The real struggle came after the incident, though. I was kept in the hospital for weeks because I'd popped some stitches and for... mental... issues.

"I attended their funeral, but I couldn't stay long because I broke down at Jake's casket and didn't stop crying for three days. I was moved after I got out. Never came back to this town."

Nobody said anything for a long time.

"Well," Leo finally said. "Festus should be heated up about now. We should get going."

The demigods hopped on Festus while Frank turned into an eagle to carry Hazel.

"Leo?"

"Yeah, Hazel."

"I'm not as... good with death as Nico is, but I know that Jake doesn't blame you."

"Is he in Elysium?"

Hazel nodded. "He saved a neighborhood girl when he was eight. She was being... assaulted, and Jake was the one to call the police. He knocked one of the guys out with a fallen branch."

Leo smiled. "Sound like Jake. He's brave, even if he didn't always act like it."

Hazel returned the smile. "You know, you're brave, too, Leo, even if you don't always believe it."

The ride was silent for the next few miles, but this time, they barely made it ten minutes (the dragon flew much faster than a car drove).

Leo's hands started shaking. He didn't know why he was so cold; he couldn't get cold! But his fingers were turning blue, and he knew his lips were as well. A chill was settling into his bones, and no matter how much he tried to raise his body heat, the cold didn't go away.

"Leo, are you okay?" Piper asked when she felt him shaking. Upon seeing his stained hands and lips, she answered herself. "No, you're not. We should probably land and figure out what's going on."

Leo nodded. "G-G-Good i-id-d-dea."

Piper took the reins and landed the dragon in a park. She didn't understand what was going on; it was chilly, yes, but far from freezing. What was causing this?

"Why'd we stop?" Frank asked after changing back. "Holy shit, what happened to Leo?"

Piper shrugged. "I don't know."

"I-I-I d-don't un-nd-d-derst-st-stand. I-I c-can't g-get c-col-ld." Leo's teeth were chattering so badly, they could barely understand him.

"That's what makes this so confusing," Percy said.

"I agree," Annabeth said. "You're a fire user, so your body temperature is naturally high. Therefore, getting cold? It's possible, but it'd have to be freezing, like way below zero, for it to happen."

"Do you guys need some help?" A voice asked.

Leo recognized the voice. The shock and the cold together sent him spiraling into darkness.

The last thing he saw was the person he'd been running from since he was thirteen.

He was screwed.

* * *

 _The girl with the bandana is next! Hopefully, that'll be posted by Friday, and I'll have this story finished by the end of next week! It'll be 11-12 chapters._

 _Review!_


	10. Beautiful Juliet

_Hello again! This is probably my favorite chapter, alongside the Horror Story._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

 ** _WARNINGS: BRIEF MENTIONS OF RAPE, BLOOD, GANGS, VIOLENCE, BOYXBOY_**

* * *

When Leo came to, the seven were kneeling over him, looking worried. Hazel had tears running down her face; Annabeth looked truly nervous for the first time since Leo met her; Piper was holding his hand, which, he noticed, was no longer shaking. Percy and Jason were pacing on either side of him, making Leo rather dizzy just watching them. Frank was holding Hazel, but even he looked worried for the son of Hephaestus.

"Thank Gods, you're awake!" Piper exclaimed.

"What happened?" Leo muttered.

"Well, what do you remember?"

"I remember being cold and then, somebody speaking... oh, no."

"What is it, Leo?"

"I see your friend's woken up," a familiar voice spoke. Leo hadn't heard it in years, but he would never, ever forget that voice.

He sat up with some difficulty and stared at the newcomer.

He was thin and tall with pale skin and shiny black hair. He had no acne, and his eyes were a beautiful brown. In his black shirt and ripped up jeans, he looked like a handsome bad boy, but Leo knew the truth.

Leo gulped.

"Hello, Blake," he finally said.

Blake waved. "Hey, Leo."

"Wait," Percy said. "You two know each other?"

"Well, I think we ought to," Blake laughed. "We dated."

"You're gay?" Annabeth said in surprise. "There's nothing wrong with it, but geesh. First Nico, now you. How many more surprises are there gonna be this month?"

Leo shrugged. "Well, I'm bi, actually. The reason why you've never seen me with a guy is because one of my foster parents found out and tried to, erm, 'beat the freak out of me'. His words, not mine."

"But I saved him from that life," Blake said, coming over to put an arm around Leo's shoulder. Leo stiffened.

"Yeah, and I'm thankful for that, but we broke up," Leo said, his voice going from fearful to ice cold. He shrugged off Blake's arm. "Now. I'm grateful that you tried to help us, but we need to get going."

"There you go again, running off," Blake rolled his eyes. "First sign of trouble, and you're gone."

Leo growled. "I'm not gone at the first sign of trouble. I'm gone at the first sign of you."

The ex-lovers had obviously forgotten the seven were even standing there.

Blake laughed. "Very clever. And where did that get you?"

Leo didn't respond.

"That girl died because you ran away. She knew how dangerous we were; we only wanted you, but no, you didn't push her away to keep her safe. You welcomed her, and she got killed for it."

Leo blinked. He knew it was coming, but it still felt like a slap to the face. No, more like a punch to the stomach.

"What?" Jason asked.

"We're leaving," Leo said. "Come on."

Leo Valdez walked out the door of the old gang hideout, the seven following him, and didn't look back.

"So what happened while I was out? Do you know what happened to me?" Leo asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "I have a theory. A god or goddess wants us to get to know you better, so she's causing us to crash. She's somehow gotten Khione to help, probably by fooling her into thinking it's a plot for revenge. If she's willing to tangle with a minor goddess, she must be one of the main twelve, or at least, very powerful. The question is who?"

"Hera?" Percy suggested.

Jason shook his head. "She's the kind of person to do something fast. She'd probably show us Leo's memories versus the journey. The journey is too slow of a process for her."

"Then, who?" Piper questioned.

No one had an answer.

"So... what was he talking about?" Percy finally asked.

Leo shrugged. "When I was thirteen, I met Blake in Colorado. He was apart of this street family. It's basically a band of runaways and homeless kids that form a family of sorts. They usually stay in one city, but sometimes they have to move around. It could be because of weather, food shortages, or just... getting into some trouble.

"Our family... I'm ashamed to admit that we got in trouble quite a lot. The police were on our tail all the time, trying to lock all of us up in jails or penitentiaries or whatever. Therefore, we moved a lot. And one day, we wound up in Detroit.

"Blake and I had started dating shortly after we met. But when we were here, he did something... unforgivable."

"What?" Piper asked, hesitantly.

Leo bit his lip. "He had sex with me. I said no, but he didn't listen. The point is, though, I ran away, and I met Juliet, but she didn't like that name, so everyone called her Julia.

"She'd been apart of the gang before, back in California. She'd seen them do something so awful, she purposely got caught by social services so that she could get away from them. She never told me what it was.

"We were able to avoid them for a while. But they were smart; they covered every inch of the perimeter of this city, so Julia and I had to hide from them until we could find a way to escape Detroit.

"But they found us..."

 ***FLASHBACK***

" _Where are they?" Julia whispered._

 _Leo shrugged. "I don't know."_

 _They were hiding in an old, abandoned warehouse behind piles of tools and metal. Blake and the gang had been chasing them for miles, but they'd vanished a few moments ago and had yet to appear._

 _"Did we lose them?" Julia asked._

 _Leo shook his head. "Blake's too smart to lose us."_

 _Sure enough, shots started ringing out not even a second after the words left Leo's lips._

 _The two kids sprinted through the halls of the warehouse, climbing higher and higher to the upper levels. This may not sound like the best idea, but both kids were great at parkour, so getting down really wasn't a challenge._

 _They made it to the top floor, but footsteps were thundering up the stairs, so they needed to act fast._

 _"You go first!" Julia shouted over the footsteps. Whoever was stomping was very angry._

 _"No!" Leo protested._

 _"They want you, not me! Now, there's no time to argue! Go!"_

 _Leo climbed out the window, grabbing onto the gutter and swinging around to the fire escape a few windows away. Then, he shimmied down the railings, swinging from one to the other with high speeds._

 _Upon reaching the ground, Leo stared up at the window and waited for Julia._

 _She climbed out and was reaching for the gutter when..._

 _BANG!_

 _Julia fell._

 _Leo screamed so loudly, someone-anyone- must've heard him. But no one came. Or at least, no one came in time._

 _Julia fell ten stories, hitting ladders and railings on the fire escape and her flailing arms even broke a few windows._

 _Leo sprinted forward to catch her, but he was too late; she hit the ground with an ear splitting crack!_

 _"No!" Leo cried._

 _He looked up and saw Blake smirking at him from the window. He could shoot Leo or come down here and drag the demigod back to the gang's hide out, but Leo didn't care._

 _All that mattered was Julia._

 _She was lying spread eagled on the pavement with blood surrounding her like angel wings. Her blue eyes were wide open and glassy and her blonde hair was spread out around her, like a halo. She looked like a angel dressed in red. The image was too angelic for an event so sinister._

 _Leo stumbled forward and knelt beside his best friend, now dead._

 _"Julia..."_

 _He took her head and placed it in his lap and slowly closed her eyes._

 _He heard footsteps, but he didn't turn around. He didn't care if it was Blake or social services or God himself. Julia was the only thing that mattered to him._

 _"Somebody call a bus," an unfamiliar voice was saying._

 _"But the girl's dead."_

 _"And the boy's traumatized. I'm worried he'll go into neurogenic shock."_

 _"Alright. The bus is on its way."_

 _"Should we move him?"_

 _"I don't think we could if we tried."_

 _But Leo didn't hear any of this. He was too busy staring at Julia's lifeless form, his eyes nearly bleeding from the force of his stare. He couldn't have looked away if he wanted to._

 _Hands were pulling him away from Julia, and Leo finally broke out of his stunned state and started screaming. He screamed so loudly, the officers jumped, but the hands did not leave his shoulders._

 _"Shh, it's okay," the officer was saying. "It'll be okay."_

 _How can it be okay? Leo thought. Julia is dead! But he didn't voice this; all he could do was scream._

 _Blood. Julia's blood all over his hands and clothes. Julia's scream in his ears._

 _It was like he was back in that wretched warehouse with his mother screeching on the other side of the door and being unable to reach her. Julia screaming and unable to catch her before she hit the ground and died._

 _Suddenly, he was being lifted up on some kind of bed... a stretcher, he realized._

 _Something pricked his arm and the white walls began to spin; his screams died in his throat. He gasped for breath._

 _The world went black._

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

"Oh my gods," Annabeth whispered. "That's awful."

Leo nodded. "If she would've gone first-"

"Then, you would've died," Hazel reasoned. "And the Prophecy wouldn't have happened, and where would the world be? There wouldn't be one, or at least one that I'd want to live in."

Leo shrugged. "I guess, but... still. Blake was right; I should've pushed her away."

"Leo... Julia wouldn't want that. I don't know her personally, but she sounded like she really cared for you," Piper said.

"She was a daughter of Ares, you know," Leo added, changing the subject. "I didn't know at the time, but after meeting some of the Ares kids, I knew. She was a much nicer version of Clarrise- tough, strong, a good fighter, but not as... violent, I guess. She spoke Greek, too. We were speaking to each other and slipped into Greek. I didn't even realize until after she died and I was looking back on the good times."

Percy smiled, sadly. "You think she could've beaten me?"

"With training, yes. She was a fantastic fighter. Knocked out three guys with a hand bag she grabbed out of a dumpster."

The seven started laughing because all of them could picture that.

"That sounds like something Percy would do," Jason laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Percy said in a mock haughty voice.

And just like that, the seven were in hysterics again.

"But yeah," Leo said. "The story of Juliet Corose, aka Julia."

Jason reached out and awkwardly patted Leo on the shoulder.

Leo pursed his lips. "Life's unfair, but at least Julia got Elysium. She deserves it, just like mi mamá."

"You really loved her, didn't you?" Piper asked.

Leo nodded. "I really did."

Hazel smiled. "Reminds me of Sammy and me. You only experience that kind of love once, but a different kind of love comes along. Different, but just as amazing. You'll find it someday, Leo, just like I did." She pecked Frank on the lips.

Leo nodded again. "Thanks, Hazel, but we'd better get going. We've been gone for a week; camp's gonna start getting worried."

"Start? Leo, they've probably been worried since we left," Jason laughed.

"Good point."

They hopped on Festus after assuring him that Leo was fine thirty thousand times, and just like that, they were off again. Flying over Detroit and into Ohio.

Piper was leaning against Leo's back as a sign of comfort. It wasn't much, but it was more than enough for Leo. She understood that he didn't want to talk, but she wasn't about to leave him alone.

Of course, that was when things had to go wrong.

Over Ohio, which was around two hours from Detroit, Festus started to overheat again. With his newly made body, Festus wasn't quiet accustomed to it, so he would overheat easily. Usually he could tough it out, but with all the problems they'd been having, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Leo landed them on a roof and hopped off, alongside the seven.

"So, even though we're close to camp, I think we should IM them," Annabeth suggested.

"Agreed."

But before anyone could even pull out a drachma, the door burst open.

"Who are- Leo?"

"Not again."

* * *

 _What'd you think? My favorite part was the not again line, but I really enjoyed writing it, even if it was a sad chapter. Thanks for reading! Review!_


	11. Drive By

_Hello, everyone, I'm back! One more chapter to go after this!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 ** _WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, DRIVE BY SHOOTING, BRIEF MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM_**

* * *

"Again?" Hazel asked in amazement.

The boys standing there were about the same age as the majority of the seven- sixteen. One of them was short with sleek, brown hair and blue eyes that stared at them in amazement; his pale skin was dotted with a few freckles. The other boy was darker skinned with dark brown hair that curled around his hair lines; his eyes were brown and friendly, but were now only shocked.

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked. The two boys opened and closed their mouths three times, searching for words, but not finding any.

"This is Alex and Logan," Leo explained. "We landed on top of an apartment building; most adults would've brushed this off as a huge bird or something, but Alex and Logan are... different."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

Leo shrugged before mouthing, 'Not demigods. But maybe slightly clear sighted.'

The freckled kid, Alex, looked up. "What is-"

"An invention of mine," Leo told them. "It's pretty cool, but I'm still working out the kinks. He can get over heated pretty quickly."

The other boy, Logan, nodded, his eyes still trained on Festus. "Why's he blurry?'

Leo shrugged. "I can see him fine. Maybe you just need glasses."

Alex nodded, slowly. "So what are you doing here?"

Leo told him, "Well, I was going to visit my aunt, building bridges and such. But Festus started overheating, so we needed to land."

"Oh," Logan responded. "Well, do you want to come inside? I'm sure after all these years, my mom still loves you."

Leo laughed. "Can I bring my friends?"

"Of course. I'm not gonna leave them standing out here," Logan chuckled. "Come on."

Leo looked at his friends before following Logan and Alex; the seven, in turn, followed him.

"Same apartment?" Leo asked.

"Yep, 12B."

Logan unlocked the door and escorted them inside.

"Mom, guess who's here?"

"It'd better not be that Jamie girl again; she's no good for you, Logan."

A woman strolled out of the kitchen. Physically, she looked nothing like Logan. With pale skin and curly red hair, she was tall and thin and beautiful. Her eyes were green, and she resembled an older version of Rachel Dare. But there were similarities: their friendly expressions and broad smiles and the way they radiated kindness.

"Leo?" She whispered in amazement.

"Hello, Ms. Rodriguez," Leo said, sheepishly.

"Ah, none of that. You know you're supposed to call me Rose," she laughed before sweeping Leo into her arms almost like he was her own child.

The seven were busy looking around the apartment to notice the way Rose's eyes filled with tears when she saw Leo.

There were photographs everywhere. On the fireplace mantal, framed photos were in a neat line. In the center was a photo of a man that looked exactly like Logan, and the man was undoubtedly his father. On either side were more photos of him. One with a baby, who was probably Logan, and another with a two year old Logan. The pictures stopped after Logan was two. There were also pictures of a teenage Rose and a teenage version of the man, and another of the pair of them holding a one year old Logan.

There were more on the walls of red heads and more people that resembled Logan- family. But on the tables, there were photographs of boys. Alex starred in a few of them, starting from the time he was six until a recent photo. Another one had a dark skinned boy in it that the seven had never met.

But there were also photos of Leo- thirteen maybe. His eyes were a little more haunted, but his smile was still just as bright.

"Where have you been?" Logan demanded.

Leo shrugged. "Everywhere. After the incident, I couldn't take it anymore, so I did what I do best. I ran away. I found myself in New York, Nevada, Arizona, and back to New York."

"You could've called," Alex huffed.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me after... the incident."

The group immediately saddened, and the seven were left wondering why.

"That wasn't your fault," Logan told him.

Leo smiled, sadly. "Sure."

"Dude, I'm serious," Logan told him. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"Then, who's was it?"

"The guy that pulled the trigger!" Alex answered.

"But he was aiming for me."

"So what? He hit Jordan; it's his fault, not your's."

Leo nodded. "Yeah."

"Leo, what are they talking about?" Piper suddenly asked.

The three jumped; they'd obviously forgotten the seven were there.

Leo sighed. "It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"Alright. I guess the best place to start is when I met Jordan Gollahand."

 ***FLASHBACK***

 _Leo had been bounced around enough over the past few years, but being moved again wasn't much of a surprise or a disappointment. After Jake and Terra, Leo didn't want to stay in that town anyway._

 _This town was small. It was a tiny town in northern Ohio with buildings squashed together, and Leo lived on the rough side of town with two drunks. At least they didn't hit him. Much._

 _He attended school, and he wasn't doing too bad. Sure, he wasn't straight A's, but he wasn't straight C's either._

 _That was where he met Jordan Gollahand._

 _Jordan was... normal. You wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd, but once you met him... you'd never forget him. He was tall and thin with long brown hair that curled at his neck. With brown eyes and a friendly smile, Jordan was... kind, smart, clever, a friend to all. He was different than most people, in a good way._

 _"So what's our science homework?" Leo asked as he jotted down their math homework in his notebook._

 _Jordan raised his eyebrows. "You're actually gonna do it?"_

 _"Hey, I do all my homework. Except for my English," Leo added at Jordan's dubious look._

 _"I still think that that's not entirely fair. I mean, you're a genius in science and math and fluent in Spanish. That knocks out three subjects right there," Jordan pouted._

 _Leo laughed._ _"Sorry, dude. I was born naturally gifted."_

 _"And narcissistic," Jordan joked._

 _"Don't you mean awesome?" Leo said, chuckling._

 _Jordan rolled his eyes. "Whatever floats your boat."_

 _"Come on, we gotta get going," Leo said. "I told Logan I'd come over to help him with his Spanish project, so..."_

 _"Can I come too? You can help me with mine."_

 _"Sure, 'cause apparently I'm everybody's Spanish tutor now."_

 _"It was your first language!"_

 _"No, I learned English and Spanish at the same time, so Spanish is my half first language."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I don't know. I'm not good with words."_

 _"You can say that again."_

 _"Hey, neither are you. You have a C in English."_

 _"That reminds me. How am I gonna explain that to my parents?"_

 _"Beats me, dude."_

 _"Well, how do you explain it to your parents?" Jordan asked._

 _Leo shrugged. "I don't have parents."_

 _Jordan froze. "Foster parents?"_

 _"They... don't really care about my grades... or me."_

 _Jordan stopped Leo on the sidewalk. "Well, why don't you tell anybody?"_

 _Leo shrugged again. "Jordan... I've been bounced around the system from Texas to Nebraska to Kansas to Michigan to here. If I tell anybody, they're gonna move me again. And it's not that bad; I've had worse."_

 _Jordan frowned. "What's your home life like?"_

 _Leo sighed. "They're drunks. The dad hits, but not very often. They forget to feed me, but if they do, I eat at Logan's or Alex's or your house. Honestly, it's the best home I've been in besides my last one, and... something happened there, so I had to move. I don't want to risk getting out of a bad home and into a worse home because trust me, that's happened before."_

 _"Alright," Jordan relented. "But promise me that you'll come to me if things get too bad, okay?"_

 _Leo nodded. "I promise."_

 _Jordan surprised Leo by embracing him. Leo, after a few moments of hesitation, hugged back._

 _BANG! BANG!_

 _Jordan slumped against Leo, who gasped in shock, his eyes wide. He looked up just in time to see a car speed off, a gun being pulled back into the window._

 _Jordan was loosing a lot of blood, and Leo laid him on the pavement, screaming for help. Stripping off his shirt, Leo pressed it against the two wounds in Jordan's back._

 _"Come on, Jordan!" Leo screamed. "No!"_

 _The two wounds weren't even an inch apart, and they were in the top part of his shoulder. Any higher, and they would've hit... Leo's forehead. Which had been the intention._

 _Somehow, Leo knew that Blake's gang was behind this. He'd gotten many of them arrested after Julia, and they wanted revenge. They knew people all over the US, so it wasn't that much of a stretch that they knew people here Ohio._

 _"I'm sorry," Leo whispered. "I'm so sorry."_

 _But Jordan didn't hear him. He was already before the judges, and Leo could only pray that he received Elysium._

* **FLASHBACK OVER***

Piper hugged Leo.

"I should've kicked that bastard's ass," Jason growled. At Logan, Rose, and Alex's questionable expressions, he explained. "We met Blake back in Detroit. He helped Leo, but he was planning something. I know it."

Leo nodded. "I don't doubt it."

Alex walked over and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Jordan doesn't blame you, I know he doesn't. And he wouldn't want you blaming yourself either."

Leo nodded. "I know. It's hard sometimes, though. You're always looking for somebody to blame, and in my case, that person's always me."

"Well, it shouldn't be," Frank told him. "None of these deaths were your fault."

"I know you're right. I'm working on it, but... it's not a habit I can break in one day."

"I know that feeling," Percy said.

Leo sighed after a moment. "We should get going, but this time, I promise I will call. Same number?"

Alex and Logan nodded.

"519-3557," Leo listed, pointing at Alex. "And 239-1017," he said, gesturing to Logan. "You see, I didn't forget you. I just didn't know what to say."

"Well, don't make that mistake again," Logan said.

Leo smiled. "I won't. I'll come visit sometimes. See you."

"Bye, Leo," Alex called.

Logan turned to the seven. "Take care of him," he ordered, too quietly for Leo to hear.

Percy smiled. "Oh, believe me, we will."

The seven followed Leo from the room and up to where Festus was waiting. Picking up on Leo's mood, he rubbed his head against Leo's shoulder, much like a cat would do (it was a very funny picture, considering Festus almost knocked Leo over).

"I'm fine now, buddy," Leo said. "Truly fine."

And he knew he would be. Someday.

* * *

They made it to New York. That was good, but somewhere over the South side of long Island- the opposite side where Camp was- something else happened.

Leo was sleeping for the first time in a while. After the talk with Logan and Alex, he'd found some closure over Jordan's death, and that closure was enough to make him forget about the others (at least for now) and sleep.

The woman came to him in his dreams. She was rapidly changing between people, so fast that Leo didn't recognize half of them. But the occassional glimpse was enough to know. Alexis, Bradon, Jordan, Maddie, and so many others... his ghosts.

She met his eyes and settled on his mamá.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded.

"I am Melinoe, goddess of ghosts."

"You're the one who's been messing with us, aren't you?" Leo scowled.

"Guilty as charged," she smirked, "but I did help you, didn't I?"

"I suppose, but I'm not about to thank you. There are a lot less painless ways to expose my secrets," Leo said, adding sarcasm to the end.

"It's not over yet, you know," Melinoe informed. "We still have one more alter to go."

Leo froze. "You mean..."

"Yes. Good luck, Leo Valdez. You're gonna need it."

Leo woke up, falling.

* * *

 _I apologize for any mistakes, but I was literally editing this as I got ready for school, so that involved a lot of multi tasking. Hope I didn't make too many mistakes! Thanks for understanding!_


	12. Not-so-Jolly Holly

_I'm kind of embarrassed by how short this chapter is, but it's also very meaningful. It's the kind of story that's best told in little words, so I hope you understand._

 _Leo may seem OOC in some parts of the chapter, but after all he's been through during this week, you can kind of expect that._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

 ** _WARNINGS: SUICIDE, MENTIONS OF SELF HARM AND DEPRESSION AND BULLYING_**

* * *

"What the hell?" Percy screamed.

Leo pulled on the reigns, and while it slowed their descent, it did not stop the crash. Festus collided with the ground, creaking and cracking and sending the seven rolling.

"Festus!" Leo called as he stumbled to his feet and traveled over to where Festus lay.

All in all, the damage wasn't too bad. A few loose bolts; oil leaks; and some other minor issues. The main problem was that there were _several_ minor problems. Too many to fix in a few hours.

"Damn it," he cursed as he stood. "Is everyone alright?" He called over his shoulder.

"Yep, I'm good!"

"I'm in pain, but I'm alive."

'I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"I'm okay!"

"Ow."

"What's going on with Festus?" Piper asked.

Leo shrugged. "A lot of minor things, but there's so many that there's no way I'll be able to fix all this in a few hours. I can fix him enough to get us to camp, but time is iffy."

"What happened?" Annabeth questioned.

"Melonie," Leo answered. "The goddess of ghosts. She's been messing with us the entire time."

"Well, what does she want?" Jason demanded.

Leo replied, "She wants you to know more about me. She's having us crash land in places where my ghosts are strongest. She's been going in the order of the alters I made for Día de Muertos. That means this is the last stop."

"Well, who died here?" Percy asked, rather bluntly.

"Not-so-jolly Holly," Leo told them, his voice flat and emotionless. "That's what everyone called her after she died..."

 ***FLASHBACK***

 _Leo met Holly at their junior high school- a small, lesser known school in southern Long Island called Annters Junior High (totally made up). Apparently, it was named after Asher Annters, who designed and helped build the school many years ago. The students all called him Ass Annters because let's face it. Everyone hated that school._

 _Except for Leo and Holly._

 _Leo and Holly were geniuses. I know you're all probably shocked that Leo Valdez is a genius, but after many tests, that's what he was labeled as. School was his safe haven; it kept him distracted from bad memories, and after all he'd been through with Jordan and Jake and one tragedy after another thrown at him, Leo didn't have the energy to act out anymore._

 _But while teachers loved them and adults craved to have them as their children, other kids hated them- called them names, tripped them, knocked books out of their hands. They even beat Leo up more than once._

 _It wasn't that bad for a while. Leo and Holly had each other, and they were happy._

 _But one day... Holly changed. She went from an excitable, yet shy, Holly to a depressed teenager that was practically mute. Her grades slipped; she stopped hanging out with Leo; she rarely ever came to school. Since she wouldn't talk to Leo, Leo didn't know how to figure out what was wrong._

 _This went on for three months, and then, the video arrived on Leo's computer._

 _He'd just arrived home from school after another Holly-free and bullying-filled day to find a video on his computer from Holly. Thinking she was finally coming out of this little shell she'd built around herself, he clicked on it in excitement._

 _But it wasn't that at all._

 _Her face was blotchy with tears; her face was as_ _pale as death. She wore a black sweatshirt, black pants, and a black T-shirt; her blonde hair was a mess. But worst of all were her arms; with her sleeves pulled up, the cuts on her wrists were made all too obvious._

 _"Hey, Leo," she said on the prerecorded video. "I bet you're surprised to see me at all, much less like this._

 _"Leo... a few months ago, I started getting messages on my computer. Calling me geek, slut, bitch, telling me to die. I get a lot of that at school, but on my phone and computer, it's ten times worse. I just couldn't tell you because I didn't want to sound like a cry baby or something."_

 _She sobbed for a moment before composing herself._

 _"Leo, I... I stopped hanging out with you because I thought that I was ruining what little reputation you had left after the bullying started. Then, I stopped coming to school because I didn't want to have to deal with it in person. And... and I'm sad, Leo. Really sad."_

 _She sniffled and sighed before continuing._

 _"Leo, I just can't live in this world anymore. It hurts so much, and I don't know how to stop it. I'm so, so sorry."_

 _She waved. "Goodbye."_

 _The video ended._

 _For a moment, Leo didn't do anything._

 _And then, he sprung out of his seat and sprinted out the door, shouting, "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!"_

 _"Leo, what's wrong?" Kristen, his older foster sister, asked._

 _"Kristen, call 911 and send an ambulance to Holly's house."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"I think she's going to try and kill herself!"_

 _And then, Leo raced out the door and bolted up the street. It was like when he and Julia were running from Blake and his gang, but this was much more serious. He ran faster._

 _Holly's house was only a mile away from Leo's, and Leo didn't have time to bother with traffic. He ran his fastest mile time ever: 4 minutes and thirty-three seconds._

 _It was still too long._

 _Leo burst through the door without knocking or asking for permission. Holly's mother looked ready to scold him, but he brushed past her and up the stairs to Holly's room, where he practically kicked down the door._

 _There, she was. Hanging by a belt from the ceiling fan._

 _Holly's mother walked up_ _behind him and screeched her heart out as she fell to her knees. Her father raced in and held her as she cried, but Leo just stared. He couldn't move; he couldn't look away._

 _Hands were taking his arms and pulling him away from the awful scene as paramedics dashed inside and began to take Holly's dead, dead, dead body down from that belt._

 _It was his foster mother, Sally, and Kristen. His other sister, Diana, was still at soccer practice, and the father, Ben, was working._

 _"Come on, Leo," Kristen whispered._

 _Leo was taken to the hospital for PTSD. He spent three days staring at a wall, not speaking or moving. Hardly even breathing._

 _When Leo finally came out of it, he was given_ _pills and therapy and support, but after four weeks, he had to move again. Everyone thought it was for the best; he couldn't attend school with those bullies without attacking them anyway._

 ***FLASHBACK OVER***

"And that's Holly's story," Leo told them as he fixed up the last few things on Festus.

They'd been here for a good five hours while Leo fixed the minor complications and told the story.

"Holy shit, Leo," Hazel murmured.

Everyone stared at her in surprise; they'd never heard her curse before. Being apart of the past, Hazel still felt that cursing was something only grown men did and it was to be avoided. This was a shock.

Percy nodded. "You know it wasn't your fault."

Leo nodded. "I do, but... it doesn't stop me from wondering what could've been, you know."

Annabeth nodded. "What about the bullies?"

Leo shrugged. "Some got arrested for what they did after they found her computer and with my help. Some of them got expelled. But some of them still attend that school, and that's why I couldn't go back. I'd attack them if I ever saw them."

He tightened the last bolt and stood. "Well, guys, he's all fixed up. Let's get back to camp."

"Yeah," Jason smiled. "Let's go home."

The seven hopped on Festus (or in Hazel's case, on Frank the eagle), and they were headed for camp. Their home.

* * *

As soon as they landed, the questions started.

"What the hell happened?"

"Where have you been?"

"You better not have been over exerting yourself, Leo Valdez. You're still healing!"

"Leonardo, you are grounded! No forge! No Bunker Nine! No tools!"

"Nyssa, you're not my mom. And Leonardo isn't my name!"

"It is now!"

Leo sighed. "I'm screwed."

The seven stiffled laughs.

"Children," Chiron said. "What happened? Where have you been?"

Leo exchanged looks with the seven and took a deep breath.

"That's kind of a long story..."

Leo started from the beginning. He started with Alexis and Bradon and went to Holly.

His secrets were out, and there was no going back.

* * *

 _Well, that's our last chapter. What'd you think of the story? And just so you know, I will not be doing a sequel to this, although some characters might pop up in my other Leo Valdez stories._

 _I loved writing this, and I hoped you enjoyed reading it. I hope you learned something to!_

 _Goodbye!_


End file.
